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A Convoys Expendable Little Brother
Next Article → LEADERSHIP: Corruption Cripples Combat Capability
April 14, 2007: Troops are still buying remote
control toy trucks, for use in checking out possible roadside bombs. This,
despite the fact that nearly 6,000 combat robots have been sent to Iraq and
Afghanistan so far. The problem is, there are never enough droids to go around.
So the droidless troops have been improvising. Radio controlled (RC) cars and
aircraft are readily available from hobby stores, or their web sites. Items can
be sent via air freight to Iraq. The high end RC trucks cost several hundred
dollars, but can be controlled from as far away as 200 meters. These are used
for checking out items on, or alongside, the road that might be bombs. Just
shooting at the suspicious objects doesn't always set them off. But run an RC
car up to it, and ram the object, and you quickly know if it is heavy (and
possibly a bomb), or light (and likely just some garbage.) These vehicles can
also be equipped with wireless video cameras, perfect for checking out what's
around the corner. RC aircraft, especially the high end ones that cost $500 or
more, can also, with some effort, be equipped with a wireless vidcam. However,
using off-the-shelf equipment, your transmission range is only a few hundred
meters. Most RC aircraft can be controlled up to 500 meters away, and with more
expensive commo gear, nearly twice that. Â
Next Article → LEADERSHIP: Corruption Cripples Combat Capability
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