UAVs are very useful, but come with sharp limitations. They are great hammers when you need a hammer, but they’re still hammers when you need a wrench. For example, UAVs can’t guard bridges against suicide bombers. They have limited, pinprick firepower other than for small targets. They are useless in poor weather. UAVs are but one sort of tool in a great big tool chest.

The Warthogs had to wait for a Reaper to roll by. No telling where Mr. iRobot would fly to. Do these go to Pakistan? I have no idea, but it seems like you can’t read the news without seeing where these robots have hit more terrorists. There was a time when the enemy thought terror was a one-way street.

This place has gotten to be like a hornet’s nest of Predators and Reapers. A couple years ago, you’d see them every day, but now you can’t turn around without seeing an iRobot Terminator buzzing around to land or disappearing into the sunset or sunrise.