Deadly Drones Becoming No. 1

Move over fighter jet, the unmanned drone has surpassed you as the weapon of choice for U.S. military airstrikes.

Nearly every day now unmanned drones fly into lawless tribal areas of northern Pakistan and kill Taliban militants and their allies. Just today, a drone strike killed 18 Al Qaeda militants, one of the largest death tolls of any single drone strike. Drone strikes are the single most important key to implementing the U.S. military's strategy in combatting the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Pakistan, and they have yielded frightening results.

In the month of September alone, a staggering 145 suspected militants were killed by drone strikes as part of the largest drone campaign since the invasion of Afghanistan begun in 2001. The campaign is targeting members of the Al Qaeda-affiliated Haqqani terrorism network, and has severely crippled the network's strength in northern Pakistan. Among the dead is Saifullah Haqqani, cousin to the network's leader, as well as Sheikh Fateh Al Misri, Al Qaeda's now former third-in-command.

Only drones could have such an impact in this hazardly mountainous region. Ground troops would be devastated by concealed guerrilla fighters shooting from the rocky cliffs, resulting in heavy casualties with very little results, and expensive helicopters run the risk of being taken down with an RPG from a hidden shooter. Drones are relatively low-cost, unmanned, and easy to operate, making them a tailor-made weapon for this environment.

We are seeing the beginning of the drone era in military tactics. At the rate of increase we have seen in drone usage since 2004, it would be safe to say that in ten years, drones will have surpassed fighter jets in military usage, and with a few upgrades to weapons and maneuvering ability, they have the capacity to make the once-formidable fighter jet completely obsolete.