Choose your Weapon
|
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 Iraq and Afghanistan
Approximately $20,000
Yugoslavia, 1999
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