Predator covers the story of the birth of the Predator drone and its effect on military and covert operations. Richard Whittle manages to weave through the military and aeronautic bureaucracy of the Predator as it is destined to become the most successful military unmanned aircraft.
I was surprised to see the level of detail about the development of the aircraft. I would think that much of the information would be secret. Or that those involved would be quiet about its history. Whittle clearly was able to uncover a tremendous amount of detail. The story is rich, enjoyable to read, and compelling.
The Predator drone was ugly, slow and unreliable. The key to its success was its ability to stay in the air for an extended period of time. Manned craft are limited by human endurance. The Predator can have flight crews swapped while in flight.
Everything else was good old-fashion ingenuity to expand the use and conquer the problems with the plane’s technical limitations. One key was the ability to transmit video not only to the pilots, but to other military leaders. That level and length of surveillance was compelling for military leaders.
According to the author, the turning point for the Predator happened during the Bosnian War. Those were the first flights in combat, but limited to surveillance.
It was the war in Afghanistan that pushed the Predator into more action. That turning point was the idea of mounting a hellfire missile on the aircraft. The Predator could not only watch the enemy, but could take action.
The book is focused on the history of the Predator, not the legal and ethical implications of the Predator. Part of that history is the legal analysis of mounting a missile on the aircraft and who can authorize taking a shot. There was some concern that the Predator with a missile could be classified as a cruise missile and be subject to weapon treaties with Russia.
The book’s historical narrative ends in 2002. That leaves most of the ethical implications to the book’s epilogue. Is it ethical to fight a war by remote control, with uniformed Air Force pilots blowing up targets on the other side of the world from their safe, air-conditioned work stations? Are the attacks assassinations or merely defensive strikes in the War on Terror?
The ethical implications are felt by the pilots. They are not whisking over target at supersonic speeds delivering their payloads with little time to see the damage. A Predator pilot has the continuing transmission to watch as the aircraft lumbers along above the target looking at survivors and victims.
The publisher provided me with a free review copy of the book.