This thread is of drones as modern weapons of war, how they differ from previous aircraft, and what is prospect of drone use in a conflict with Iran.
Most Americans are utterly unaware of how dangerous Drone War with Iran would be.. to the USA
#WWIII
Pre-programmed NON-remotely controlled weapons existed for hundreds of years. Navies would send unmanned sailships loaded with explosives to harbor of enemy ships etc. Nothing new about 'unmanned' weapons of war. Drones are REMOTE CONTROLLED weapons without pilot
First radio-CONTROLLED remotely piloted weapon was the 'tele tank' used by Soviet Union in WW2 against Finland in 1939 in Winter War. Full-sized tanks, not manned, were controlled by radio from tanks behind, to crash through barriers like anti-tank mine field
First AIRPLANE drone was German Henshell HS 293, a flying bomb that was radio controlled to strike ships in 1943. Is the forefather of all modern aircraft-launched guided missiles. Launch airplane fired the weapon from outside range of anti-aircraft guns on ships
Early drone weapons were useful because they did not put a 'pilot' in risk, and could still be steered to hit a target. Like a Japanese Kamikazi airplane but without the suicide of the pilot required. Their drawback was short range - only AS FAR AS YOU CAN SEE
The first 'modern' drone, able to operate miles BEYOND VISUAL RANGE, was invented in Israel by Tadiran, the Mastiff in 1973. They put a modern ENG (Electronic News Gathering) TV camera and remote TV link, onboard a drone, and sent live TV view back to controller
All modern drones - military AND even toy drones - are descendants of Israel Tadiran Mastiff, and include the live TV camera setup, that the pilot can sit even hundreds of miles away, safe on the ground, and fly the plane based on the view from the TV camera.
The first advantage of drones is, that there is no danger of losing an expensively-trained pilot, if you lose the airplane. Drones can fly into 'more dangerous' areas than piloted planes, with acceptable military losses. When there is no pilot onboard, drones...
As no pilot is onboard, a drone aircraft can be made FAR smaller and lighter, for the same mission, as a manned airplane. That means also.. being smaller.. it can be less detectable (very useful in spy planes). Also useful for 'hidden assassin' killer drones
Because there IS NO PILOT onboard, drones have been HATED by Air Forces all over the world (fear a loss of jobs), development has been slow. Even Israel was slow to adopt this technology. US first drone (Israeli made) RQ 2 Pioneer - in 1988 ! = Unarmed spy drone
While drone aircraft fleets have grown - most Air Forces around world today have spy drones (most of those made in Israel or using Israeli tech under licence) their use as COMBAT weapons is still slow to be adopted: led by success of USAF Predator (killer) Drone
You might think USA leads?
US first combat drone (killer drone) is RQ 1 Predator. Is armed. Can kill from the sky. There is no pilot onboard. It is not a 'spy plane'. Is a killer. Was first deployed 1995. Of all US air strikes in past 10 years 90% were Predator
UNDERSTAND relevance!
So while USAF, USN & USMC fly manned combat planes like F 22 Raptor, F 15 Eagle, F 18 Hornet, A 10 Thunderbolt, 90% of all air strikes in past decade by USA around the world - done by DRONES. Less than 5% of US warplanes do 90% of strikes
Now for the bad news. The first country to deploy drones into combat, as spy planes (only) was Israel. Who was the second country to deploy drones into combat (as spy planes)... not the USA. It was yes.. you guessed it.. IRAN. In the 8 year war against Iraq
It gets worse. America first deployed a COMBAT drone (Predator) in 1995. Who did it first in the world? Even before Israel developed combat capability to ITS spy drones? Yes you guessed it: Iran. Put anti tank rockets onto its drones against Iraq. A DECADE prior
It gets worse. The only country to have DOWNED a US drone, was.. IRAN. In 2011, they captured and either shot down or more likely remotely hijacked operation of RQ 170 Sentinel spy drone. This had NEVER been done before. Spy drones were thought to be untouchable
Even worse. The ARMAMENT needed onto a drone needs to be a 'smart weapon' missile. VERY FEW countries are able to manufacture SMART weapons, like USA, Britain, France, Russia, China, Israel... and.... yes... IRAN. They have their Zoobin class smart missiles..
The problem for the DEFENDER in a drone mission, is that drones are almost impossible to shoot down. They are small, almost invisible to naked eye. Are made of plastic, invisible to radar. Have no heat signature for IR detection systems. VERY hard to shoot down
Iran was the first nation to use drones in a war as a weapon (A DECADE before USA). They understood value FAR better (and earlier) than USA. And Iran has had time to develop COUNTER MEASURES. We just saw it in summer 2019 - Iran successfully SHOT DOWN a drone.
I do not mean USA will lose a war to Iran. I mean that USA has never fought any adversary as advanced with DRONE WARFARE as Iran. North Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq did not deploy drones against the USA. Iran has the LONGEST HISTORY of using drone weapon
What makes Drone warfare far worse for USA, is that US bases around Iran were NOT DESIGNED to be 'safe' from DRONE ATTACK. It is like Pearl Harbor against Japanese navy attack in 1941. Nobody EXPECTED that KIND of attack by aircraft carriers by Japan back then
If USA engages Iran in a Drone War, it means that Iran can produce FAR WORSE damage to US military bases in Middle East, than USA can damage Iran in drone attacks, because Iran is an EXPERT at this kind of warfare and US bases are vulnerable to this method
What is FAR worse, is that ANY drones can EASILY be smuggled into USA. An Iranian ship (submbarine) can launch them from sea - and an Iranian SOLO operator can LAND the drone, while sitting in a rented Chevy van, with the gear installed inside. CIVILIAN TV tech
Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, N Korea, even Nazi Germany or Japan in WW2 - could not attack CHICAGO or DALLAS by air. Iran CAN. Not nukes. Not intercontinental missiles. Drones. Like drone attack on Saudi oilfield? On say the Hoover Dam? Or nuke powerplant
I am not saying Iran can win a war against USA. Nobody is going to invade USA or win.
BUT USA cannot win a war against Iran. Iran is FAR WORSE than the war against Vietnam (USA lost) or the Afghanitan war (still ongoing, USA cannot win)
DRONES make Iran the worst enemy ever
Because Iran manufactures its own drones, and smart missiles to arm them, and has own anti-aircraft systems capable of shooting down US drones, Iran is the worst opponent ever for USA. Because for first time, ALL homeland towns are vulnerable - was not true of WW2 etc
Imagine Trump decides to 'bomb the Iranian airplane factory' where Iran's drones are made?
Iran can retaliate by destroying BOEING's factory in Seattle. The world's largest airplane factory! Who wins, who loses in this war. Iran can inflict FAR BIGGER damage to USA. Drones
Imagine Trump bombs Iran's rocket development site. Iran can retaliate by destroying Cape Canaveral ! A rocket site worth 100x more than the Iranian site. The DISPROPORTIONATE damage by a SINGLE drone attack, of UNDETECTABLE killer drones, is FAR WORSE for USA than for Iran
Hitler could not retaliate against USA bombing Dresden. Japan could not retailiate for fire-bombing of Tokyo. Vietnam could not retaliate for Operation Linebacker by Nixon, biggest bombing raid in war history. They all would have WANTED to. Iran CAN retaliate - with drones