Science!! Fucking magnets, how do they work?
- Thread starter Flunklesnarkin_sl
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Guest, it's time once again for the massively important and exciting FoH Asshat Tournament!
Go here and give us your nominations!Who's been the biggest Asshat in the last year? Give us your worst ones!
Big Phoenix
Pronouns: zie/zhem/zer
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Manned fighters are on the edge of obsolescence anyway; they might squeeze one more generation out after the F-22/F-35 because fighter jocks still have some sway, but the US Navy will have its first drone-only carrier within a generationat the most. But yeah, the F-35 is a dog; multi-role shouldn't mean "shit at everything".
SCIENCE!
Big Phoenix
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Oddly enough bad weather is a bigger danger to UAVs than jammed communications. Afghanistan is pretty much ideal territory for their operation.
The RAF has said they expect the F35 will be the last manned fighter they buy. Tanaris is them dipping their feet in to see what the future holds. If it goes into production the idea is it will be "escorting" manned fighters, extending their missile range and helping with targeting, by 2025-2030. Past that point, who knows.
Big Phoenix
Pronouns: zie/zhem/zer
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Your drone is going to be a paper weight when your near peer enemy knocks out your sattcom or jams them or shoots them down with the plethora of missle defense systems out there. Weve really become too accustomed to fighting third world cave dwellers.
At best they will simply be another weapon/tool to use, not a replacement for an existing weapon/tool.
At best they will simply be another weapon/tool to use, not a replacement for an existing weapon/tool.
iannis
Musty Nester
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I was listening to a BBC report and one of the people talking said something, just in passing really, that I found to be really interesting. It was along the lines of "Well, technically drone attacks are planned assassinations under international law. They are entirely illegal. They qualify as murder. But America seems to have decided that they are the way to conduct modern warfare -- so. So."
And then he went back to his point. It was kind of like a, "Wait. Wait. Back up a minute there".
And then he went back to his point. It was kind of like a, "Wait. Wait. Back up a minute there".
Cad
scientia potentia est
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I'm cool with completely disrespecting the rights of foreign nationals who have made it their mission to harm us. I think they should use bigger missiles on the drones so they can't even find half the pieces of the fuckers they shoot at.
Tuco
I got Tuco'd!
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Yeah I guess the key question is whether we're hitting people who have made it their mission to harm us or not. It's tough to get reliable information out of the places we're hitting but there's enough noise about mistaken targets to make me uncomfortable. Not enough to condemn drone strikes, but nonetheless uncomfortable.
A Wedding That Became a Funeral | Human Rights Watch
USA must be held to account for drone killings in Pakistan | Amnesty International
A Wedding That Became a Funeral | Human Rights Watch
USA must be held to account for drone killings in Pakistan | Amnesty International
Cad
scientia potentia est
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Its not realistic to think they are going to provide us with the information needed to make an informed decision on whether any particular strike was justified. And naturally, the other side will say we blew up a school, killed a cleric, etc; they can't fight directly so they will hit us where we are vulnerable - public opinion. Using sympathetic human shields is a tried and true tactic in that part of the world.
Again, we don't have the information needed to make informed decisions about this stuff. And with the lack of information should come the lack of strong opinions about it.
Tuco
I got Tuco'd!
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I don't disagree with you about the scarcity of information, but I would argue that being completely okay with drone strikes happening is a stronger opinion than is warranted by the lack of clear information available.
The way I look at it is I assume that the US Government takes reasonable measures to avoid civilian causality when conducting drone strikes. I also assume that collateral damage happens in drone strikes regardless of either militant or US Government claims. Ultimately I assume that the alternatives to drone strikes (occupation, bombings, spec ops) would produce both more civilian causality and US losses.
The way I look at it is I assume that the US Government takes reasonable measures to avoid civilian causality when conducting drone strikes. I also assume that collateral damage happens in drone strikes regardless of either militant or US Government claims. Ultimately I assume that the alternatives to drone strikes (occupation, bombings, spec ops) would produce both more civilian causality and US losses.
iannis
Musty Nester
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I'm also fairly ok with drone warfare. I'm not great with it... but it beats nukes, poison gas, or biological agents.
It just surprised me a bit that Europe is looking at us and going, "WTF mates? W-T-F". The comment really was offhanded, which leads me to think that this is a fairly prevalent attitude and not -that- contentious. I'm sure it's a little contentious.
It just surprised me a bit that Europe is looking at us and going, "WTF mates? W-T-F". The comment really was offhanded, which leads me to think that this is a fairly prevalent attitude and not -that- contentious. I'm sure it's a little contentious.
"Hey, I just launched three drones to your one manned fighter and even if they get all get shot down their controllers are all perfectly secure. Good luck with that attrition thing!"