Drone Reading Answers

 Drones

Remote killing, whether it is with a bow and arrow used by the ancients or by dropping bombs on an unsuspecting population, has always been a crucial trait of war. The world leader, however, as far as remote targeted killings are concerned, has been and remains the US Military. The drone has taken centre stage in US security policy in an effort to counter terrorism from the skies. Drones perform a variety of functions. They provide intelligence to war-time units, conduct surveillance, and carry out investigations. The Pentagon plans to spend an astounding $3 billion on drones, which is quite high as compared to the $284 million budget from the year before the 9/11 terrorist attack on the Twin Towers. One of the most well-known military drones is the MQ-1 predator. With a wingspan of 55 feet, it can travel up to the speed of 135 mph. Sources from the US Air Force said, "The Predator system was designed in response to a Department of Defense requirement to provide persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information combined with a kill capability to the war-fighter." With its deadly capacity to exterminate humans, is no longer in the realms of science fiction but has entered the domain of reality.

Military leaders have always harbored dreams of attacking their enemies from a distance, thus avoiding casualties on their side. It is not surprising that it was the US military that was the first to bring about military aerial surveillance, but other countries soon followed suit. It is important to note that way before the Wright brothers revealed the technology of controlled flight to the world, attempts at unmanned combat vehicles were in existence. Hot air balloons, for example, were used by the Austrian army in 1849 when they attacked Venice. Around two decades later, during the Civil War in the US, Union and Confederate forces utilized balloons for missions of investigation. A range of steam-powered unmanned aircraft that was developed by Samuel Angley in the year 1896 was successfully flown along the Potomac River near Washington DC.

Aerial Surveillance was also widely used during World War 1. While the general perception is that most drones are associated with military use, the founding father of the concept of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was Nikola Tesla, an amicable civil inventor. Describing it as 'tele-automaton', Tesla was the first person to patent a remote-control for an unmanned vehicle, laying the foundation for drones. However, the lethal use of drones is frequent. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism states that around thousands of people have been mercilessly killed by drones in numerous strikes in particular regions of the world, and ironically these exercises were conducted outside of traditional battlefields. (This was the cause of fierce debate as it was deemed to be a violation of international humanitarian law. In spite of this, by the year 2013, the US Department of Defense had as many as 112 reaper drones and 237 predators, both capable of being remotely piloted across the globe. Mark Mazzetti, Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist says, "Rare is the technology that can change the face of warfare. In the first half of the past century, tanks and planes transformed how the world fought its battles. The fifty years that followed were dominated by nuclear warheads and Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs), weapons of such horrible power that they gave birth to new doctrines to keep countries from ever using them.

The advent of the armed drone upended this calculus: a war was possible obviously because it seemed so free of risk. The bar for war had been lowered, the remote-controlled age had begun, and the killer drones became an object of fascination inside the CIA." In the initial stages of the war against terror, the US military and CIA drones were primarily concentrated in the remote and mountainous areas of some countries. However, recent years have seen the US police force running trails with drones changing the face of the urban landscape. Drones used by most US police are variants of the quadcopter on a much smaller scale, more often than not used by amateur hobbyists. Time may come when cities of the future will have weaponized police drones. With weaponized drones armed with rubber bullets, tasers and tear gas legalized in North Dakota, the time is not when lethal missiles attached to drones will become a horrifying reality.

Questions 1-3

Look at the following Questions 1-3 and the list of statements below

Match the correct letter A-D

1    The world leader, however, as far as remote targeted killings

2    One of the most well-known military drones

3     the year 2013, the US Department of Defense 

A     quadcopter on a much smaller scale, more often than not used by amateur hobbyists.

B     are concerned, has been and remains the US Military. The drone has taken centre stage in US security policy in an effort to counter terrorism from the skies.

C     the MQ-1 predator. With a wingspan of 55 feet, it can travel up to the speed of 135 mph

D     had as many as 112 reaper drones and 237 predators, both capable of being remotely piloted across the globe

1. B

Explanation: The world leader, however, as far as remote targeted killings are concerned, has been and remains the US Military. The drone has taken centre stage in US security policy in an effort to counter terrorism from the skies

2. D

Explanation: One of the most well-known military drones had as many as 112 reaper drones and 237 predators, both capable of being remotely piloted across the globe 

3. C

Explanation: the year 2013, the US Department of Defense the MQ-1 predator. With a wingspan of 55 feet, it can travel up to the speed of 135 mph