Predators in Paris

Yesterday the U.S. Air Force’s RQ-1 Predator caught my eye. Unlike the myriad UAVs on display at the air show, the Predator has seen plenty of combat in the war on terror. If robots could win medals, the Predator would have fruit salad. Built by General Atomics, the Predator has a wingspan of 48.7 ft, a maximum speed of 135 mph, a range of 454 miles, and a ceiling of 25,000 feet. The Air Force officially describes its primary mission as “interdiction…and armed reconnaissance against critical, perishable targets.” A secondary mission is “reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition.” The Predator also has obvious and probably underexploited potential as a tool for securing American borders.