New Apache chopper can kill at 50 miles

Source: Sun Times

An unmanned aircraft sails through the night sky, watching enemy soldiers plant roadside bombs ahead of an approaching convoy of American troops.

The craft fires a missile at insurgents, sparing what would have been certain U.S. casualties. The pilot in control of the craft is safely 50 miles away, aboard an Apache helicopter.

By 2011, crews will be able to do just that from the next generation of the aircraft. Remote-control piloting is one of the features of the new Apache, which was unveiled this month in Mesa, Ariz. Boeing Co.’s Mesa factory will begin making 634 of the ultra-high-tech aircraft in 2010.

The Army’s $19 billion order will mean greater protection for U.S. troops fighting in the Middle East, where the Apache has proven itself as a vital weapon. And it will open a new chapter in a storied piece of the U.S. military arsenal.

Read more: http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/1066569,apache072108.article

build a house, treat the sick or maybe even feed the hungry, I would be impressed, but this crap I couldn't care less about.

...were applied to tasks that benefit the world rather than to tasks that kill and maim with greater and greater efficiency?

The headline is interesting "New Apache chopper can kill at 50 miles" given that USAF flies its UAS missions in Iraq and Afghanistan from Nevada which is considerable more than 50 miles from the target.

Sales pitch for the new Apache.

to as they plant their bombs?

But then again, we're in the mega-price-for-military-weapons era.

If I'm remembering correctly, that's more than an F-16.

The Viet Cong realized the US had superior artillery and air power that was so vast that to come under its attack would be certain death. Thus the Viet Cong developed "Grab the Belt" tactics, i.e. Cover and Concealment till US troops were engaged, and then stay as close as you can to prevent the US from dropping Shells and bombs on their own troops while you attack the US troops. The US troops in Vietnam was to find where the Viet Cong were and the DISENGAGE from them to let the bombers and artillery take care of them.

The same thing is happening in Afghanistan and Iraq, are those troops moving to the battle field or pilgrims to the holy sites? The only way to find out is to send in ground troops and look over the people moving. It is unstated but what is hoped for is someone from the people on the move open fire so we can claim it is troops on the move NOT Pilgrims on a pilgrimage.

My point so what if an Apache can kill at 50 miles, when we can only see them as hostile at 50 feet. This is a solution to a non-problem, what next a bigger ship killer missile for a Soviet fleet that no longer exists? Maybe advanced anti-tank missiles to destroy Soviet Tanks now rusting away in Russia. I know Putin has tried to upgrade Russian Military Capability, but it is a shadow of what the Soviets could do in the 1970s and 1980s. The Chinese are NOT a real threat to the US for at least another 20 years. What we need is more troops on the ground to control the ground, not destroy targets 50 miles away in an area no one really cares about.

Yay.

:scared:

Hell, $500 Billion.

We could be doing an Apollo style re-tool of our nation. We could be leading the world; leading by example.

Instead, we line the pockets of fat-cat corporate robber barons who get filthy rich selling obscenely priced killing machines to our government to use in war-for-profit (tm).

who's gonna know? Don't want our soldeirs to "engage" the enemy face to face (might see what they're killing).

:think:

WE are sooooo good at killing.

you can bet it will be massively overpriced and won't work as advertised, anyways. Just a $30 million useless paperweight for the Generals at the Pentagon

But we can't drive there on a gallon of gas.

That'll leave a mark ...

Channel that money into alternative energy and go back to being isolationists.

Regular people always figure out a response. It is sad that so much U.S. pride rests in technology of killing nowadays.

lead poisoning and bitten by rats in Washington DC. Something seriously wrong with this picture.