Hunter-killer robots are now on their way to Iraq. These snazzy, flying missile-launching robots will offer the Americans a much needed robotic helping hand in the timely exploding of buildings and people. 

Meet the MQ-9 Reaper. A refinement of the 1995-borne Predator UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle), the MQ-9 carries a devastating payload. Controlled remotely by a pilot States-side, our robot friend the MQ-9 can stay in the air for up to 14 hours, and cause massive destruction at the drop of a hat. The Air Force is adding a huge 400,000 square-foot staging area to their main air base outside of Baghdad to (probably) house our new flying, annihilation-aiding robo-pals.

The new all-robot squadron goes by the name of the 432d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing. As you can see by their fashionable devil'n'battle-axe themed patch, the motto of the squadron is "Victoria Per Scientum." My Latin isn't terrificus, but I believe this means something like 'victory through science.'  The 432d has been around since the robot-free days of World War II, although it has been disbanded and reformed over the years. They were however some of the earliest adopters of drone technology, using the AQM-34 drones, that were designed in the '50s, for aerial reconnaissance.  

The 432d eventually will be composed of 60 Reapers and 160 Predators.

These bomb-flinging hunter-killer drones are going to give the Americans more "flexibility, range, speed and persistence," said regional Air Force commander Gary North, "such that [we] will be able to work lots of areas for a long, long time." The Reaper planes will be probably be used as continuous-flying sky-watchers, to strike down on "targets of opportunity" at a moments notice. The drones can also supply reconnaissance for targets, and call in the big-guns (the F-16's, artillery, etcetra) if the situation calls for it.

After seeing want these robo-enforcers of American interests can do, ground troops have welcomed more of the UAVs. An Air Force officer, who goes by the name of Major Snodgrass, said that American ground troops want even "more and more of it."

Reapers have also been used in North America as well. One particular robo-pal, by the name of MQ-9 CBP-101, helped patrol the Mexican border in October of 2005. This robo-hero of justice flew almost a 1000 hours and had a hand in over 2,000 arrests. MQ-9 CBP-101 even helped locate of 8,000 pounds of smuggled marijuanna.

NASA, the Navy, Homeland Security, the UK, and Australia have all expressed interest in getting their hands on these handy, jet-powered, missile-wielding flying robots.