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Pentagon Doubles Use Of Drones

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 2, 2008

WASHINGTON - The military's reliance on unmanned aircraft that can watch, hunt and sometimes kill insurgents has soared to more than 500,000 hours in the air, largely in Iraq, The Associated Press has learned.

New Defense Department figures obtained by AP show that the Air Force more than doubled its monthly use of drones between January and October, forcing it to take pilots out of the air and shift them to remote flying duty to meet part of the demand.

The dramatic increase in the development and use of drones across the armed services reflects what will be an even more aggressive effort during the next 25 years, according to the new report.

The jump in Iraq coincided with the buildup of U.S. forces this summer as the military swelled its ranks to quell the violence in Baghdad.

The Associated Press

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