{"id":3745,"date":"2019-03-26T09:33:06","date_gmt":"2019-03-26T12:33:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nachodelatorre.com.ar\/mosconi\/?p=3745"},"modified":"2019-03-26T09:33:06","modified_gmt":"2019-03-26T12:33:06","slug":"us-army-killer-drones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/?p=3745","title":{"rendered":"US Army killer drones"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><u><\/u>A partir del 2010 en que el US Army llev\u00f3 adelante la primera misi\u00f3n de ataque con drones letales, la conformaci\u00f3n de una unidad org\u00e1nica de \u201cMQ-1C Gray Eagle\u201d, ha convertido a estos sofisticados sistemas aut\u00f3nomos en la Plataforma de Combate m\u00e1s eficiente, en el apoyo a las Fuerzas Terrestres en el combate contra grupos insurgentes y terroristas. La incorporaci\u00f3n de tecnolog\u00edas relacionadas con Plataformas de Combate Aut\u00f3nomas con capacidad letal, es una tendencia que continuar\u00e1 creciendo exponencialmente en muchos pa\u00edses.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" data-reactid=\"16\">As the Islamic State\u2019s physical caliphate shrinks to nothing after an almost five-year campaign led by U.S. special operations forces, military insiders say one small unit has killed more of the extremists than any other: the company of Gray Eagle drones in the Army\u2019s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" data-reactid=\"17\">Although the military has thrown a cloak of secrecy over its operations, the unit \u2014 officially called E (or \u201cEcho\u201d) Company of the regiment\u2019s Second Battalion and established less than a decade ago \u2014 is increasingly being lauded in special operations and Army aviation circles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" data-reactid=\"18\">\u201cThey are doing the most killing of anyone in the national mission force,\u201d said a former 160th officer, referring to Joint Special Operations Command, which runs counterterrorism task forces in Afghanistan, and does battle against the Islamic State in Iraq, Syria and the Horn of Africa. \u201cThey\u2019re out there doing the nation\u2019s bidding in a ferocious way.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"canvas-image Mx(a) canvas-atom My(24px) My(20px)--sm\" data-type=\"image\" data-reactid=\"19\">\n<div class=\"Maw(100%) Pos(r) H(0)\" data-reactid=\"22\"><img class=\"Trsdu(.42s) StretchedBox W(100%) H(100%) ie-7_H(a)\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/2f6OiGOf3LQU7h7B.e1nzA--~A\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9ODAw\/https:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/5c80444c2400009604a2c54e.jpeg\" alt=\"Yahoo News photo Illustration; photos: AP, Getty\" data-reactid=\"23\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"C($c-fuji-grey-h) Fz(13px) Py(5px) Lh(1.5)\" title=\"Yahoo News photo illustration; photos: AP, Getty Images\" data-reactid=\"26\">\n<div class=\"figure-caption\" data-reactid=\"27\">Yahoo News photo illustration; photos: AP, Getty Images<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><div class=\"Ov(h) Pos(r) Ff(ss) Mah(80px)\" data-reactid=\"25\"><button class=\"C($c-fuji-blue-1-b) Cur(p) W(100%) T(63px) Bgc(#fff) Ta(start) Fz(13px) P(0) Bd(0) O(0) Lh(1.5) Pos(a)\" data-reactid=\"28\"><span data-reactid=\"29\">More<\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" style=\"margin: 0px 0px 1em; color: #000000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;\" data-reactid=\"30\">Echo Company is credited with \u201cwell over 340 enemy killed in action\u201d in Afghanistan and the Iraq-Syria theater between August 2014 and July 2015, according to a November 2015 Army\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/webcache.googleusercontent.com\/search?q=cache:GqiGRfA34JcJ:https:\/\/www.army.mil\/article\/159000\/army_aviators_units_and_industry_partners_earn_recognition&amp;hl=en&amp;gl=us&amp;strip=1&amp;vwsrc=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">write-up<\/a>\u00a0of an award for the unit. The company has also played a key role in a special operations task force established in Iraq in 2014 to roll back the Islamic State\u2019s physical caliphate and hunt its leaders. Flying from a base in Iraq to attack targets in Syria, the drone company has launched \u201cmore than a thousand\u201d Hellfire missiles in the last two to three years, the former 160th officer told Yahoo News. \u201cThat means to me they\u2019ve been very busy in Syria.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" data-reactid=\"31\">Echo Company\u2019s achievements are remarkable, in part, because unlike the Air Force, whose drones are operated from air-conditioned trailers in Nevada and flown by officers, the pilots in this Army aviation company are mainly enlisted soldiers who are deployed in combat theaters.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"canvas-image Mx(a) canvas-atom My(24px) My(20px)--sm\" data-type=\"image\" data-reactid=\"32\">\n<div class=\"Maw(100%) Pos(r) H(0)\" data-reactid=\"35\"><img class=\"Trsdu(.42s) StretchedBox W(100%) H(100%) ie-7_H(a)\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/k8EtzO0zp95FzZ6fhFSFKw--~A\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9ODAw\/https:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/5c8047c236000006186b2b1e.jpeg\" alt=\"The destroyed vehicle in which Taliban leader Mohammad Akhtar Mansour was traveling in the Baluchistan province of Pakistan, near the Afghanistan border\" data-reactid=\"36\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"C($c-fuji-grey-h) Fz(13px) Py(5px) Lh(1.5)\" title=\"The destroyed vehicle in which Taliban leader Mohammad Akhtar Mansour was traveling in the Baluchistan province of Pakistan, near the Afghanistan border, May 22, 2016. (Photo: Abdul Salam Khan\/AP)\" data-reactid=\"39\">\n<div class=\"figure-caption\" data-reactid=\"40\">The destroyed vehicle in which Taliban leader Mohammad Akhtar Mansour was traveling in the Baluchistan province of Pakistan, near the Afghanistan border, May 22, 2016. (Photo: Abdul Salam Khan\/AP)<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><div class=\"Ov(h) Pos(r) Ff(ss) Mah(80px)\" data-reactid=\"38\"><button class=\"C($c-fuji-blue-1-b) Cur(p) W(100%) T(63px) Bgc(#fff) Ta(start) Fz(13px) P(0) Bd(0) O(0) Lh(1.5) Pos(a)\" data-reactid=\"41\"><span data-reactid=\"42\">More<\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" data-reactid=\"43\">The U.S. drone campaign against Islamist militants has been enmeshed in controversy since it began in 2001, with accusations that some attacks caused needless civilian casualties or hit the wrong target altogether. On Wednesday, President Trump rescinded an executive order that required the intelligence community to disclose information about U.S. drone strikes outside of declared war zones, including civilian casualties. The White House last year had already ignored the requirement, put in place by President Barack Obama. Trump\u2019s order does not affect a law that requires the Defense Department to send Congress an annual report detailing civilian casualties.<\/p>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" data-reactid=\"44\">\u201cU.S. armed drones have played a key role in the fight against ISIS, with its Reapers and Predators contributing up to 7 percent of all strikes, according to official data released back in 2017,\u201d Chris Woods, the director of Airwars, a United Kingdom-based nonprofit that tracks airstrikes in Iraq, Syria and Libya, wrote in an email. \u201cThousands of civilians have locally been alleged killed in Coalition actions \u2014 with our own minimum estimate at more than 7,500 deaths. However, what proportion of these deaths resulted solely from drones we can\u2019t say.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" data-reactid=\"45\">It is even less clear if any of Echo Company\u2019s strikes resulted in civilian casualties; no allegations have been directed at its operations, which have been kept under tight wrap by the Defense Department.<\/p>\n<div data-reactid=\"46\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"Ov(h) Trs($transition-readmore) Mah(999999px)\" data-reactid=\"47\">\n<figure class=\"canvas-image Mx(a) canvas-atom My(24px) My(20px)--sm\" data-type=\"image\" data-reactid=\"48\">\n<div class=\"Maw(100%) Pos(r) H(0)\" data-reactid=\"51\"><img class=\"Trsdu(.42s) StretchedBox W(100%) H(100%) ie-7_H(a)\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/zdzwc3bUl1FM3Ha1bV2_cQ--~A\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9ODAw\/https:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/5c80480336000006186b2b1f.jpeg\" alt=\"John Evans\" data-reactid=\"52\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"C($c-fuji-grey-h) Fz(13px) Py(5px) Lh(1.5)\" title=\"Former head of U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command Brig. Gen. John Evans. (Photo via YouTube)\" data-reactid=\"55\">\n<div class=\"figure-caption\" data-reactid=\"56\">Former head of U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command Brig. Gen. John Evans. (Photo via YouTube)<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><div class=\"Ov(h) Pos(r) Ff(ss) Mah(80px)\" data-reactid=\"54\"><button class=\"C($c-fuji-blue-1-b) Cur(p) W(100%) T(63px) Bgc(#fff) Ta(start) Fz(13px) P(0) Bd(0) O(0) Lh(1.5) Pos(a)\" data-reactid=\"57\"><span data-reactid=\"58\">More<\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" style=\"margin: 0px 0px 1em;\" data-reactid=\"59\">Citing the classified nature of Echo Company\u2019s missions, U.S. Special Operations Command declined to provide any information about the unit, which, like its parent battalion and regiment, is based at Fort Campbell, Ky. But insights into the unit\u2019s history can be found on the website of the Army Aviation Association of America, a nonprofit organization that supports the Army\u2019s aviation branch. The association has awarded Echo Company its \u201cUnmanned Aerial Systems Unit of the Year\u201d award\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.quad-a.org\/Public\/Awards\/AAAA_Awards\/Public\/Awards\/AAAA_Awards.aspx?hkey=08a215d9-fb92-4861-a2ee-152d8cf8af74\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">four times<\/a>\u00a0since 2011.<\/p>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" style=\"margin: 0px 0px 1em;\" data-reactid=\"60\">\u201cEcho Company [is] the most lethal company in the Army, and it may very well be the most lethal company-size element in all of [the Defense Department],\u201d Brig. Gen. John Evans, at the time the head of U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command, told attendees at the aviation association\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Vg65kyEux4c&amp;list=PLuxwEY1IhTy372bfpfqT8H9zDMe7TEDIF&amp;index=20&amp;t=485s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">conference<\/a>\u00a0in April 2017.<\/p>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" data-reactid=\"61\">The record still holds today, according to a retired senior Army aviation officer. \u201cThis is the most lethal Army unit this year,\u201d he said. \u201cThe whole Army, including artillery, including everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" data-reactid=\"62\">One of the few Army units that fly fixed-wing aircraft, the company apparently has been more lethal than its Army helicopter counterparts and all Air Force fixed-wing outfits, manned and unmanned. Even in Joint Special Operations Command, the secretive organization that includes special mission units like Delta Force and SEAL Team 6, Echo Company\u2019s performance stands out, according to those familiar with its operations.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"canvas-image Mx(a) canvas-atom My(24px) My(20px)--sm\" data-type=\"image\" data-reactid=\"63\">\n<div class=\"Maw(100%) Pos(r) H(0)\" data-reactid=\"66\"><img class=\"Trsdu(.42s) StretchedBox W(100%) H(100%) ie-7_H(a)\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/E12.J.Yy3jbENwfuI6uifA--~A\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9ODAw\/https:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/5c8046142500009803c8bc1e.jpeg\" alt=\"A U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter patrols Mogadishu, Somalia\" data-reactid=\"67\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"C($c-fuji-grey-h) Fz(13px) Py(5px) Lh(1.5)\" title=\"A U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter patrols Mogadishu, Somalia, in the wake of gun battles between militants and U.N. peacekeepers, June 8, 1993. (Photo: Kathy Willens\/AP)\" data-reactid=\"70\">\n<div class=\"figure-caption\" data-reactid=\"71\">A U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter patrols Mogadishu, Somalia, in the wake of gun battles between militants and U.N. peacekeepers, June 8, 1993. (Photo: Kathy Willens\/AP)<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><div class=\"Ov(h) Pos(r) Ff(ss) Mah(80px)\" data-reactid=\"69\"><button class=\"C($c-fuji-blue-1-b) Cur(p) W(100%) T(63px) Bgc(#fff) Ta(start) Fz(13px) P(0) Bd(0) O(0) Lh(1.5) Pos(a)\" data-reactid=\"72\"><span data-reactid=\"73\">More<\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" data-reactid=\"74\">When it was created in 2009, Echo Company represented something new for the 160th, an elite special operations helicopter unit established in the wake of the failed effort in 1980 to rescue U.S. hostages in Iran. The regiment\u2019s distinctive black helicopters have featured in virtually every high-profile special operations mission since then, including the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" data-reactid=\"75\">Since 2001, the 160th has been heavily engaged as part of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC, pronounced \u201cjay-sock\u201d) task forces in Afghanistan and, since 2003, in Iraq. The unit\u2019s most prominent members have always been the warrant officers and commissioned officers who fly the regiment\u2019s helicopters, from the small, nimble AH-6 \u201cLittle Bird\u201d gunships to the twin-rotor MH-47 Chinook assault aircraft.<\/p>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" data-reactid=\"76\">But unlike those Army pilots, or the pilots of the Air Force\u2019s better-known Predator and Reaper drones, the soldiers who fly the Gray Eagles are mainly enlisted service members, according to the retired senior Army aviation officer. \u201cThey are lethal as all get-out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" style=\"margin: 0px 0px 1em;\" data-reactid=\"77\">Made by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., the same firm that produces the MQ-1 Predator, which the Air Force retired in 2018, and its successor, the MQ-9 Reaper, the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ga-asi.com\/gray-eagle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">MQ-1C Gray Eagle<\/a>\u00a0is a derivative of the Predator and falls somewhere between the two in terms of capability. Armed with up to four Hellfire missiles or a mix of other munitions, the Gray Eagle also carries a suite of surveillance gear that includes signals intelligence equipment and high-resolution cameras that can read a license plate\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/fortcampbellcourier.com\/news\/article_e1ab8bf4-636d-11e3-aad3-0019bb2963f4.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">from 15,000 feet<\/a>. The basic Gray Eagle can fly for up to 25 hours, while an\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ga-asi.com\/gray-eagle-extended-range-ge-er\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">extended range<\/a>\u00a0version has a maximum endurance of 42 hours.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"canvas-image Mx(a) canvas-atom My(24px) My(20px)--sm\" data-type=\"image\" data-reactid=\"78\">\n<div class=\"Maw(100%) Pos(r) H(0)\" data-reactid=\"81\"><img class=\"Trsdu(.42s) StretchedBox W(100%) H(100%) ie-7_H(a)\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/USmTHK3yc__WphPhykGKAQ--~A\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9ODAwO2lsPXBsYW5l\/https:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/5c80469320000043046ed97a.png.cf.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-reactid=\"82\" \/><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" style=\"margin: 0px 0px 1em;\" data-reactid=\"85\">For its first deployments to Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011, the unit consisted of little more than a platoon of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.quad-a.org\/images\/faq\/awards\/PDFs%20of%20Example%20Nomination%20Packets\/2012%20UAS%20Unit.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">four Gray Eagles<\/a>\u00a0manned by\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/2010\/07\/22\/uav-company-to-wear-usasoc-patch\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">17 soldiers and 35 contractors<\/a>\u00a0(As of late 2013, Echo Company had 12 Gray Eagles and about 165 soldiers, according to an\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/fortcampbellcourier.com\/news\/article_e1ab8bf4-636d-11e3-aad3-0019bb2963f4.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">article<\/a>\u00a0written by an Army public affairs officer).<\/p>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" style=\"margin: 0px 0px 1em;\" data-reactid=\"86\">Nonetheless, it immediately made an impact. In late\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/reader.mediawiremobile.com\/ArmyAviation\/issues\/202258\/viewer?page=57\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">2010<\/a>, an Echo Company Gray Eagle became the first Army unmanned aerial system to conduct an airstrike, when it provided close air support to coalition forces in Afghanistan, according to former Capt. Tae Kim, who commanded the company. He recalled the mission in matter-of-fact terms. \u201cThere were two or three different groups of enemy fighters in a firefight with our guys and we followed one particular group \u2014 I think it was only two or three guys \u2014 and then at some point they called in a fire mission and we got them,\u201d he said. \u201cWe were more relieved at being able to support [the troops], more so than being aware of the significance of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" style=\"margin: 0px 0px 1em;\" data-reactid=\"87\">Within 18 months of that first airstrike, the unit was running 24-hour operations in Afghanistan and starting to make its mark as not just a surveillance and reconnaissance tool, but as a lethal attack aircraft. During the unit\u2019s summer 2011 to summer 2012 deployment, it conducted 20 airstrikes with Hellfire missiles, \u201cresulting in 32 enemy combatants killed in action,\u201d according to a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.quad-a.org\/images\/faq\/awards\/PDFs%20of%20Example%20Nomination%20Packets\/2012%20UAS%20Unit.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">document<\/a>\u00a0that supported Echo Company\u2019s nomination for its 2012 AAAA award. Representatives from the special operations units the company supported were frequently surprised to find that the drone pilots they heard on the radio were not \u201csenior Air Force officers\u201d but \u201cArmy enlisted soldiers that were actually in theater \u2014 not in Vegas,\u201d the document states.<\/p>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" data-reactid=\"88\">Echo Company has also seen extensive service in Africa, where JSOC has used its Gray Eagles \u201cto go after high-value targets\u201d in counterterrorism missions in East, North and West Africa, according to a former official at U.S. Africa Command. A small number of Gray Eagles also deployed to Garoua, Cameroon, to help other U.S. special operations forces and their partners in the region in their campaigns against Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa, according to the former Africa Command official.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"canvas-image Mx(a) canvas-atom My(24px) My(20px)--sm\" data-type=\"image\" data-reactid=\"89\">\n<div class=\"Maw(100%) Pos(r) H(0)\" data-reactid=\"92\"><img class=\"Trsdu(.42s) StretchedBox W(100%) H(100%) ie-7_H(a)\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/aOCuuabtfcmH_T.ojafjTw--~A\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9ODAw\/https:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/5c80477d240000a104a2c553.jpeg\" alt=\"Echo Company has also seen extensive service in Africa, where JSOC has used its Gray Eagles \u201cto go after high-value targets\u201d in counterterrorism missions in East, North and West Africa\" data-reactid=\"93\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"C($c-fuji-grey-h) Fz(13px) Py(5px) Lh(1.5)\" title=\"Echo Company has also seen extensive service in Africa, where JSOC has used its Gray Eagles \u201cto go after high-value targets\u201d in counterterrorism missions in East, North and West Africa. (Photo: Courtesy of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems)\" data-reactid=\"96\">\n<div class=\"figure-caption\" data-reactid=\"97\">Echo Company has also seen extensive service in Africa, where JSOC has used its Gray Eagles \u201cto go after high-value targets\u201d in counterterrorism missions in East, North and West Africa. (Photo: Courtesy of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems)<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><div class=\"Ov(h) Pos(r) Ff(ss) Mah(80px)\" data-reactid=\"95\"><button class=\"C($c-fuji-blue-1-b) Cur(p) W(100%) T(63px) Bgc(#fff) Ta(start) Fz(13px) P(0) Bd(0) O(0) Lh(1.5) Pos(a)\" data-reactid=\"98\"><span data-reactid=\"99\">More<\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" data-reactid=\"100\">Still others, flying from the East African nation of Djibouti, were used periodically to search for the Lord\u2019s Resistance Army. But only the Gray Eagles hunting high-value targets for JSOC were armed. In the other missions, U.S. special operations forces just used the Gray Eagles for surveillance and signals intelligence. \u201cThey never pulled the trigger,\u201d said a special operations officer with recent experience in the Middle East.<\/p>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" data-reactid=\"101\">Sources were more reluctant to discuss specific missions for which the Gray Eagle has been used in Afghanistan, the Middle East or Africa, on the grounds that they were all classified. \u201cIt\u2019s been involved in some pretty major things,\u201d said the retired senior Army aviation officer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" data-reactid=\"102\">The Gray Eagles aren\u2019t the only armed drones used in the U.S. military campaigns against Islamist militants. The Predator and the Reaper enjoy a much higher media profile, but Echo Company\u2019s Gray Eagles have surprised military leaders by how much more effective they have been on the battlefield, according to the retired senior Army aviation officer. \u201cWe were kind of used to watching how the Air Force operated first the Predator and then the Reaper,\u201d he said. \u201cThey can be very effective, but this is a different mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" data-reactid=\"103\">There are several factors behind Echo Company\u2019s success, according to sources familiar with its operations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" data-reactid=\"104\">First, while the Air Force\u2019s Predators and Reapers \u2014 and even the conventional Army divisions\u2019 Gray Eagle companies \u2014 are used mostly for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, and more occasionally for striking targets, Echo Company\u2019s Gray Eagles are primarily used in either close air support or \u201chunter-killer\u201d missions, according to sources familiar with Echo Company\u2019s role. \u201cThey\u2019re worried about killing targets and getting the next bad guy and basically going down the merit list of who needs to die,\u201d said the special operations officer with recent experience in the Middle East.<\/p>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" data-reactid=\"105\">The Echo Company pilots \u201chave a very streamlined permission to execute, based upon [the fact] that they\u2019ve already done target folders for these people and things like that,\u201d said the retired senior Army aviation officer.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"canvas-image Mx(a) canvas-atom My(24px) My(20px)--sm\" data-type=\"image\" data-reactid=\"106\">\n<div class=\"Maw(100%) Pos(r) H(0)\" data-reactid=\"109\"><img class=\"Trsdu(.42s) StretchedBox W(100%) H(100%) ie-7_H(a)\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/b32vShpnaUtmM9F.l8MK1w--~A\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9ODAw\/https:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/5c8047332300007f0122cad0.jpeg\" alt=\"Gray Eagle Extended Range (GE-ER) \" data-reactid=\"110\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"C($c-fuji-grey-h) Fz(13px) Py(5px) Lh(1.5)\" title=\"The Gray Eagle Extended Range is a next-generation advanced derivative of the battle-proven Gray Eagle Unmanned Aircraft System. (Photo: Courtesy of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems)\" data-reactid=\"113\">\n<div class=\"figure-caption\" data-reactid=\"114\">The Gray Eagle Extended Range is a next-generation advanced derivative of the battle-proven Gray Eagle Unmanned Aircraft System. (Photo: Courtesy of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems)<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><div class=\"Ov(h) Pos(r) Ff(ss) Mah(80px)\" data-reactid=\"112\"><button class=\"C($c-fuji-blue-1-b) Cur(p) W(100%) T(63px) Bgc(#fff) Ta(start) Fz(13px) P(0) Bd(0) O(0) Lh(1.5) Pos(a)\" data-reactid=\"115\"><span data-reactid=\"116\">More<\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" data-reactid=\"117\">A second factor, according to sources familiar with Echo Company\u2019s operations, is that, unlike the Air Force\u2019s armed drones, which are remotely piloted at Creech and Nellis Air Force Bases in Nevada, the Gray Eagle pilots are deployed in the combat theaters as part of the JSOC task forces that run counterterrorism campaigns and hunt high-value targets. Using Air Force drones \u201cis like you\u2019re leasing an aircraft for 12 hours from Creech Air Force Base,\u201d said the retired senior Army aviation officer. \u201cThey\u2019re operated by somebody who lives in Nevada and goes home to their wife at night, or their husband.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" data-reactid=\"118\">With the Echo Company pilots, he said, \u201cthey\u2019re deployed with you, you\u2019re talking to them at the mess hall\u201d and having \u201cface-to-face meetings\u201d to plan missions. \u201cIt\u2019s a very different way of going about business.\u201d An Air Force spokesman declined to comment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" data-reactid=\"119\">But Tae Kim, who commanded Echo Company from 2009 to 2011, said the importance of having the pilots co-located with the task force was exaggerated. \u201cIf you have a Reaper or a Predator above you and you need fire support, it doesn\u2019t really matter that they\u2019re located on the other side of the globe,\u201d said Kim, who is now the chief operating officer for Martin UAV. \u201cFor the guys on the ground, they don\u2019t really care how they get it so long as they get that support.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" data-reactid=\"120\">More important to Echo Company\u2019s extraordinary record of lethality, according to Kim, is that it falls directly under the command of the task force. \u201cWhat really matters,\u201d he said, when explaining Echo Company\u2019s success, \u201cis do you have this asset under the task force control so that you have more access to it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" data-reactid=\"121\">In addition to close air support for troops in contact, the Gray Eagle\u2019s range, ability to fly for many hours, and the fact that it can attack from an altitude that makes it virtually invisible to those on the ground, mean it can be used for missions that would not make sense for helicopters. The drones get the call when \u201ca helicopter cannot get there or a helicopter would give up the gig with rotor noise,\u201d said a former senior 160th official.<\/p>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" data-reactid=\"122\">The Gray Eagles are ideal for missions in which the goal is not to capture someone or to seize materials of intelligence value, but to simply kill one or more individuals, according to a former 160th officer. \u201cIf you\u2019re looking to whack somebody who needs whacking, then send the Gray Eagle,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" style=\"margin: 0px 0px 1em;\" data-reactid=\"123\">The battlefield demand for Echo Company is so high that the 160th is\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/reader.mediawiremobile.com\/ArmyAviation\/issues\/201201\/viewer?page=31\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">getting<\/a>\u00a0a\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedrive.com\/the-war-zone\/26407\/armys-elite-night-stalkers-quietly-stood-up-a-new-unit-ahead-of-getting-new-drones\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">second<\/a>\u00a0Gray Eagle company, and despite all the secrecy, the word about the Gray Eagle\u2019s battlefield effectiveness is starting to spread.<\/p>\n<p class=\"canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm\" data-reactid=\"124\">\u201cIt\u2019s a phenomenal capability\u201d that will continue to be in high demand, said retired Special Forces Col. Stu Bradin, president of the Global Special Operations Forces Foundation. \u201cThe requirements for it only grow. It\u2019s a lifesaver.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"canvas-image Mx(a) canvas-atom My(24px) My(20px)--sm\" data-type=\"image\" data-reactid=\"125\">\n<div class=\"Maw(100%) Pos(r) H(0)\" data-reactid=\"128\"><img class=\"Trsdu(.42s) StretchedBox W(100%) H(100%) ie-7_H(a)\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/A88Vsrg.p14QSQ0fBIjxXA--~A\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9ODAw\/https:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/5c8046e720000041046ed97b.jpeg\" alt=\"The Gray Eagle Unmanned Aircraft System\" data-reactid=\"129\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"C($c-fuji-grey-h) Fz(13px) Py(5px) Lh(1.5)\" title=\"The Gray Eagle Unmanned Aircraft System is a technologically advanced derivative of the combat-proven Predator. (Photo: Courtesy of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems)\" data-reactid=\"132\">\n<div class=\"figure-caption\" data-reactid=\"133\">The Gray Eagle Unmanned Aircraft System is a technologically advanced derivative of the combat-proven Predator. (Photo: Courtesy of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems)<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><div class=\"Ov(h) Pos(r) Ff(ss) Mah(80px)\" data-reactid=\"131\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Fuente:\u00a0<\/strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/how-a-secretive-special-ops-unit-of-killer-drones-decimated-isis-100000657.html?utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=ebb%2008.03.19&amp;utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/news.yahoo.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A partir del 2010 en que el US Army llev\u00f3 adelante la primera misi\u00f3n de ataque con drones letales, la conformaci\u00f3n de una unidad org\u00e1nica&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,2,29],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3745"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3745"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3745\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}