Diving deep into the intricate world of Remotely Piloted Aircrafts (RPAs), Commander John "Hawkeye" Mitchell paints a vivid canvas of aerial warfare in the 21st century in "The Reaper's Flight". Tracing the legacy of aviation—from the first unmanned crafts to the technologically superior drones of today—Mitchell's detailed expositions shed light on the myriad developments and strategic shifts. Amidst the backdrop of an evolving military landscape, Mitchell's narrative is punctuated with personal anecdotes from his illustrious career, spanning covert operations in the Middle East to high-stake surveillance missions in Asia. But, much like the analytical dissections of grand empires of yesteryears, Mitchell delves deeper, probing the ethics of remote warfare. He questions, with a critical lens, the paradoxical relationship between man and machine, and the emotional cost of waging war from a distance. Drawing from a reservoir of classified missions, operational details, and personal experiences, Mitchell’s voice emerges as one deeply informed yet continually inquisitive. He navigates the reader through the labyrinth of global geopolitics, highlighting the nuanced challenges faced by RPAs, their transformative impact on modern warfare, and the potential trajectory of their evolution. "The Reaper's Flight" isn't just an account—it's an exploration. One that not only chronicles the changing face of warfare but also underscores the lessons, pitfalls, and the uncharted potential of what lies ahead in the domain of remote aviation. Through Mitchell's eyes, we are offered a unique vantage point—a glimpse into the past, a reflection on the present, and a vision for the future of warfare.

This unique insight into RAF Reaper operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria is based on unprecedented research access to the Reaper squadrons and personnel at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire and Creech Air Force Base in Nevada, USA. The author has observed lethal missile strikes against Islamic State jihadists in Syria and Iraq alongside the crews involved. He has also conducted extensive interviews with Reaper pilots, sensor operators, mission intelligence coordinators, and spouses and partners. The result is an intimate portrait of the human aspect of remote air warfare in the twenty-first century.

The first-ever inside look at the US military’s secretive Remotely Piloted Aircraft program—equal parts techno-thriller, historical account, and war memoir Remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), commonly referred to by the media as drones, are a mysterious and headline-making tool in the military’s counterterrorism arsenal. Their story has been pieced together by technology reporters, major newspapers, and on-the-ground accounts from the Middle East, but it has never been fully told by an insider. In Hunter Killer, Air Force Lt. Col. T. Mark McCurley provides an unprecedented look at the aviators and aircraft that forever changed modern warfare. This is the first account by an RPA pilot, told from his unique-in-history vantage point supporting and executing Tier One counterterrorism missions. Only a handful of people know what it’s like to hunt terrorists from the sky, watching through the electronic eye of aircraft that can stay aloft for a day at a time, waiting to deploy their cutting-edge technology to neutralize threats to America’s national security. Hunter Killer is the counterpoint to the stories from the battlefront told in books like No Easy Day and American Sniper: While special operators such as SEALs and Delta Force have received a lot of attention in recent years, no book has ever told the story of the unmanned air war. Until now.

Combat drones are transforming attitudes about the use of military force. Military casualties and the costs of conflict sap public support for war and for political and military leaders. Combat drones offer an unprecedented ability to reduce these costs by increasing accuracy, reducing the risks to civilians, and protecting military personnel from harm. These advantages should make drone strikes more popular than operations involving ground troops. Yet many critics believe drone warfare will make political leaders too willing to authorize wars, weakening constraints on the use of force. Because combat drones are relatively new, these arguments have been based on anecdotes, a handful of public opinion polls, or theoretical speculation. Drones and Support for the Use of Force uses experimental research to analyze the effects of combat drones on Americans’ support for the use of force. The authors’ findings—that drones have had important but nuanced effects on support for the use of force—have implications for democratic control of military action and civil-military relations and provide insight into how the proliferation of military technologies influences foreign policy.

The character of future international conflicts represents a complex and unpredictable set of challenges that necessitates a significant shift in the United States' approach to warfighting. Strategic guidance in Sustaining U.S. Global Leadership: Priorities for 21st Century Defense reinforces that -...the United States will continue to take an active approach to countering...threats by monitoring the activities of non-state threats worldwide, working with allies and partners to establish control over ungoverned territories, and directly striking the most dangerous groups and individuals when necessary. The U.S. Air Force (USAF) Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) Vector-Vision and Enabling Concepts: 2013-2038 balances the effects envisioned in the USAF Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight Plan 2009-2047 with the reality of constrained resources and ambitious national strategy for a complex world. More importantly, as a visionary document, the RPA Vector opens the aperture beyond current austere fiscal realities to explore art of the possible technologies in the 2013-2038 timeframe. The intent is to examine technological advances necessary to enable the Air Force's future RPA force.

Small unmanned aircraft are already transforming warfare, with hand-launched scouts like the Raven and lethal tactical drones like Switchblade already in use by US forces. A bigger revolution is on the way, as swarming software allows a single operator to control large numbers of drones, and smartphone technology means they can be built for $1,000 each -- by anybody, not just governments. This book looks at the history of drone warfare, the rise of big drones like the Predator and how they are being eclipsed by smaller unmanned aircraft. And how the future is being shaped by smartphone technology, swarm software, miniaturised munitions and energy-harvesting that allows small drones to fly forever. It also looks at why current air defence cannot stop the swarms, and what drone swarms will mean for the balance of power and future wars. This is the world of Swarm Troopers