19 missiles fired from UAVs in one attack in Pakistan

[Panzerfire]

Talking about Overkill.
So many missiles... so few enemy casualties?

Let's see... Wiki puts an estimated cost of $68,000 for each Hellfire missile (If those were the missiles used)... so 19 of them would be equivalent to $1,292,000.
Almost 1.3 Million dollars to kill.... 17 insurgents (According to Al-Jazeera).

Some investment there!

[burghUK]

Originally Posted by Sidewinder Zulu

I imagine in the near future they will begin implementing systems in armed UAVs that allow them to send data, coordinate attacks, and relay targets to eachother in small hunter-killer groups without human intervention. Computers can be very good at planning sophisticated attacks that would take humans longer to sort out. Kinda how computers always beat humans at chess.

Sounds a bit like the terminator films. Not a good idea in my opinion.

[John-117]

the day computers gain ability to think freely we are all screwed. As for this Al Jazzera is based in qatar, the qataris blame american for helping the IDF. So yeh anything that involves america will be over hyped.

[Pariel]

Originally Posted by John-117

the day computers gain ability to think freely we are all screwed. As for this Al Jazzera is based in qatar, the qataris blame american for helping the IDF. So yeh anything that involves america will be over hyped.

That depends on your definition of think. We're a long way from having computers with realistic human intelligence, but we could easily see computers making decisions in combat in the next 20 years. I seriously doubt any of us alive now will see true artificial intelligences, and I think that's an issue that will have to be discussed when technology gets there.

[ComradeChaos]

Originally Posted by Panzerfire

Talking about Overkill.
So many missiles... so few enemy casualties?

Let's see... Wiki puts an estimated cost of $68,000 for each Hellfire missile (If those were the missiles used)... so 19 of them would be equivalent to $1,292,000.
Almost 1.3 Million dollars to kill.... 17 insurgents (According to Al-Jazeera).

Some investment there!

You cant expect that the kills would go up in a linear fashion. Id imagine w/ that many rockets flying it would be hard to aim.

[Gunners87]

Who cares about the expense? The B-52 project was expensive. Anything to save American lines is justifiable.

[Lan]

Originally Posted by Panzerfire

Talking about Overkill.
So many missiles... so few enemy casualties?

Let's see... Wiki puts an estimated cost of $68,000 for each Hellfire missile (If those were the missiles used)... so 19 of them would be equivalent to $1,292,000.
Almost 1.3 Million dollars to kill.... 17 insurgents (According to Al-Jazeera).

Some investment there!

If im not mistaken insurgents tend to run like hell and scatter when missiles are raining down on them, i could of course be wrong though.

[Panzerfire]

Originally Posted by Lan

If im not mistaken insurgents tend to run like hell and scatter when missiles are raining down on them, i could of course be wrong though.

Well they must have made some olympic running.

19 missiles for 17 insurgents? It's like the Multiplayer in Modern Warfare 2... you're lucky if you get more than one kill with the Predator attack missile.

[Harrod200]

Originally Posted by Sidewinder Zulu

Anyway, interesting story. IMO, the field of robotics is one of the most fascinating developments of warfare since the splitting of the atom. I always look forward to seeing what designs they come up with next.

[Lan]

Originally Posted by Panzerfire

Well they must have made some olympic running.

19 missiles for 17 insurgents? It's like the Multiplayer in Modern Warfare 2... you're lucky if you get more than one kill with the Predator attack missile.

Lol, seriously though 17 insurgents down can only be a good thing regardless of the cost? I heard earlier that the us believe they got the pakistan taliban leader in a seperate attack a month or so back and if thats true it only strengthens the argument for the use of these things!