Airstrikes
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US military wants more lethal drone strikes
Despite doubts about the effectiveness of US drone airstrikes in war-torn nations, the Pentagon wants to dramatically increase them. An unnamed official told the WSJ that military commanders intend to bump the number of daily flights by 50 percent. UAVs like the MQ-9 Reaper would not only aid with surveillance in regions like Ukraine, the Middle East and the South China Sea, but also perform more targeted missile strikes. The Pentagon says it needs the surge in drone activity -- the first since 2011 -- to deal with new conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and elsewhere.
KILSWITCH Android tablet delivers airstrikes in four minutes
For years, American Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACs) have been forced to call in their Close Air Support (aka airstrike) requests using radios and paper maps, then wait half an hour or more for help to arrive. During that waiting period, the JTAC would also have to carefully coordinate with and monitor the positions of inbound aircrews in order to avoid friendly fire. However, doing so is far easier said than done when you're in the middle of a firefight. But thanks to a new ruggedized Android tablet from DARPA, our frontline soldiers can call in the air cavalry in less time than it takes to order a pizza. Not have a pizza delivered, order one.
