Remotely Piloted Craft

U.S. Pushes To Rely More On Remotely Piloted Craft (New York Times)…Thom Shanker, June 5, 2008

…The push to increase missions by the Predator, and its larger and more deadly variant, the Reaper, has been an issue of serious contention between Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and the armed services, in particular the Air Force.

Navy Sees Future With Drones For Spying But Not Fighting(Washingtonpost.com)…Sebastian Abbot, Associated Press

The Navy lags well behind the Air Force in the development of armed drones — the unmanned aircraft now used increasingly in Iraq and Afghanistan — insisting that its “Top Gun” fighter pilots are still smarter, better and more flexible in combat. But the contrasting visions for the next generation of America’s air arsenal point to wider debates within the military about the pace of incorporating remote-control technology into future battle strategies.