|
What it is |
How it works |
Where it’s used |
How much it costs |
When the U.S. began using it |
|
|
MQ-1 Predator |
A 27-foot- long, unmanned aircraft. Typically armed with Hellfire missiles. |
Operated remotely, from ground- control stations in California, Nevada, North Dakota, and Arizona |
According to news reports, has been used in Pakistan and Yemen; also utilized in Iraq and Afghanistan |
At least $40 million |
Afghanistan, 2002 |
|
Hellfire missile |
A laser-guided, 100 pound munition with enough firepower to take out a tank |
Dubbed “fire and forget,” is typically shot from Predators |
Reportedly used in Panama, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Pakistan |
An estimated $25,000 |
Panama, 1989 |
|
Bugsplat, formally “FAST-CD” (Fast Assessment Strike Tool—Collateral Damage) |
Software program that predicts the collateral damage from a bomb. Used with Hellfire missiles. |
Considers terrain, size of weapon, altitude, angle, and speed from which a bomb will be dropped |
Used widely |
Developed by U.S. military |
First approved for use in 2002 |
|
AC-130 gunship |
Heavily armed, 97-foot 9-inch aircraft with 4 turbo-prop engines. Carries high-caliber cannons fitted with guiding systems. |
Can deliver surgical strikes. Also can orbit an area and saturate it with firepower. |
Many wars, beginning with Vietnam. Used in the war on terror, reportedly for targeted killings in Somalia in 2007. |
$190 million |
Vietnam, 1967 |
|
JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition) |
Guidance kit that converts unguided, 500-to-2,000 pound bombs into precision-guided “smart” munitions |
Dropped from fighter jets or bombers; GPS and Inertial Navigation Systems enable the bomb to hit fixed or “relocatable” targets. |
Yugoslavia; In war on terror, in |
Approximately $20,000 |
Yugoslavia, 1999 |
