What's It Like To Pilot a Drone? a Bit Like Call of Duty

Velcroman1 writes "Teenagers raised on Call of Duty and Halo might relish flying a massive Predator drone — a surprisingly similar activity. Pilots of unmanned military aircraft use a joystick to swoop down into the battlefield, spot enemy troop movements, and snap photos of terror suspects, explained John Hamby, a former military commander who led surveillance missions during the Iraq War. 'You're always maneuvering the airplane to get a closer look,' Hamby said. 'You're constantly searching for the bad guys and targets of interest. When you do find something that is actionable, you're a hero.' Yet a new study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found real-life drone operators can become easily bored. Only one participant paid attention during an entire test session, while even top performers spent a third of the time checking a cellphone or catching up on the latest novel. The solution: making the actual drone mission even more like a video game."

Comments

Death becomes acceptable, doesn't it?

[siddesu]

There is no guilt. The "enemy" is no longer people, but pixels rendered in false colour. No need to justify or otherwise rationalize murder. Neat. Welcome to the Ender's game.

Re:Death becomes acceptable, doesn't it?

[Anonymous Coward]

Most drone observations are surveillance. And it's made the battlefield safer and cleaner for both soldiers and civilians. You'd rather go back to the old "Bomb everything with this big bomb" paradigm?

Re:Death becomes acceptable, doesn't it?

[siddesu]

Sorry. You could have replied with a reference to the Speaker for the Dead. I think it would be very appropriate that the people who are about to be shot from the air had someone to say a word on their behalf to someone. Not the drone pilots or their commanders, but to the executives who make the decision to kill them based on largely one-sided, information. Not as good as a due process, but still an improvement over Call of Duty.

Re:Death becomes acceptable, doesn't it?

[siddesu]

No, I'd rather go forward to using the proper tools for the job, like addressing the problems that result in unwanted consequences like terrorism. But shooting is so easy.

Re:Death becomes acceptable, doesn't it?

[l0ungeb0y]

How quickly we forget the lessons learned on September 11th, 2001.

And what lesson is that?

Take repeated intelligence reports from your allies seriously?
Bother to read and take heed of reports entitled "Bin Ladin plans to attack within the US" that detail planned use of aircraft?

Ohh -- I'm sorry, I forgot.. we're all supposed to shove our heads up our ass and run around in fear while the US Government takes away more and more of our rights every time they say boo.

Re:Death becomes acceptable, doesn't it?

[couchslug]

Death was ALWAYS acceptable, done up close and personal.

Have some Kampuchea, Rwanda, the Holocaust, etc.

Also, "cannons" called, citing prior art.

Re:Death becomes acceptable, doesn't it?

[Joce640k]

Most drone observations are surveillance.

But not all of them.

Re:Death becomes acceptable, doesn't it?

[VAElynx]

And that's a good thing how, unless you believe that only dying in combat will bring you eternal reward in Valhalla?

Re:Death becomes acceptable, doesn't it?

[ShanghaiBill]

At least you're out on a field where the other guy can shoot back, not in a cozy armchair,

Close contact with the enemy does not make one dispassionate, and less likely to commit war crimes. It is exactly the opposite. A grunt on a patrol probably hasn't slept more than a few hours in the last week. He is hungry, and tired. His whole body aches with fatigue and itches with bug bites. His canteens are empty and his eyes sting with sweat turned to brine. Just yesterday he saw his best friend get his foot blown off by by a "toe popper". You think he is going to make more ethical life and death decisions than a well-rested, well-fed operator in an air conditioned van in Nevada who is having his every decision recorded? The depersonalization of war is a GOOD THING. Mistakes are still made, but we do not see any intentional atrocities like we did at My Lai, or No Gun Ri.

Re:Death becomes acceptable, doesn't it?

[History's Coming To]

I think Gith may have been refering to the idea that if fear is gone then war is easy. We can remove the fear by using remote drones, or by using people who have accepted and welcome their own death for a greater cause. Either works, and it's a really dumb arms race.

Re:Death becomes acceptable, doesn't it?

[Anonymous Coward]

Ah, so that's why Drone operators never fire on civilians, funerals, first responders (look up 'double tap') or people who look like they would look at them funny at some point if they were ever in the same place.

Further, I seem to recall bomb strikes in the Vietnam war (by well-rested, well-protected pilots in airconditioned cockpits) that would most likely be classified as war crimes had anyone but american soldiers perpetrated them.

No, the impersonalisation of war is not a good thing. The end of war would be, and that is further off than ever, given the ease by which the US can keep bombing.

And

[M0j0_j0j0]

Know what bothers me the most, is that there are democratic countries with "kill lists" , they even go public with it, and is fine, completely fine no one seems to bother !!

Re:No Motivation to End the War

[jbeaupre]

His point was that people cared about the wars and pushed for them to end when there was a republican president. People don't seem to care as much now with a democrat as president.

You may or may not agree, but it is an interesting way of looking at things.

Why should flying a drone be different?

[DaveAtFraud]

A common quote of combat pilots goes something like, "Combat flying is hours of boredom punctuated with a few seconds of complete terror." I've read something like this quote from several sources but most commonly from WWII pilots (and crew). Why should drone pilots expect it to be different?

At least the drone pilots get to go home even if the drone itself crashes, gets shot down, etc. I can imagine what a ball turret gunner from a B-17 or B-24 would say about the drone pilots being bored when they spent hours in a cramped, unpressurized, freezing cold turret scanning the airspace below the plane for approaching enemy interceptors; trying to stay alert and alive.

Cheers,
Dave