Slashdot Mirror
US May Sell Armed Drones
An anonymous reader writes: Nations allied with the United States may soon be able to purchase armed, unmanned aircraft, according to an updated U.S. arms policy. Purchase requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and foreign military bodies would have to agree to a set of "proper use" rules in order for the U.S. to go ahead with the sale. For example: "Armed and other advanced UAS are to be used in operations involving the use of force only when there is a lawful basis for use of force under international law, such as national self-defense." These rules have done nothing to silence critics of the plan, who point out that the U.S. has killed civilians during remote strikes without much accountability. The drones are estimated to cost $10-15 million apiece.
http://www.worldstopexports.co...
United States Top 10 Exports
The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in American global shipments during 2014. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of US overall exports.
Machines, engines, pumps: US$219,566,232,000 (13.5% of total exports)
Electronic equipment: $171,966,197,000 (10.6%)
Oil: $157,213,437,000 (9.7%)
Vehicles: $135,797,903,000 (8.4%)
Aircraft, spacecraft: $124,831,567,000 (7.7%)
Medical, technical equipment: $84,879,104,000 (5.2%)
Gems, precious metals, coins: $65,522,480,000 (4.0%)
Plastics: $63,025,216,000 (3.9%)
Pharmaceuticals: $43,967,977,000 (2.7%)
Organic chemicals: $42,255,264,000 (2.6%)
Perhaps they are priming to give Kiev some assistance with armored vehicle based terrorist/separatists/greenmen/ignorantrussians.
Dont like the 2nd? Convene a Constitutional Convention and change it, otherwise please STFU.
Good-bye
Weapons, entertainment, and food are pretty much the bulk of American exports.
Actually, no. In 2013, the US was the second largest exporter of arms ($6.2 billion), after Russia ($8.3 billion). And because you probably won't read the linked article, I should mention that these numbers include the estimated value of arms given as foreign aid. But those numbers are dwarfed by the real heavyweights.
Top ten US exports in 2013: