For fans of Terminator and dear ol' Arnie, as well as robotics and radio controlled airplanes, the saga took a giant leap into real space...

According to a news article I just read, the first (of possibly many) US Air Force combat squadron - the 174th Air Force Fighter Wing flew its last manned combat sortie over  in F-16s, which have now been mothballed in favor of MQ-9 Reapers. This makes it the first combat-specific wing to ditch conventional aircraft entirely in favor of 'unmanned aerial vehicles' which are essentially robotic drones piloted from the ground. 

Many countries, and even private companies (e.g. oil drilling/exploration) use UAVs, but unlike the Reaper, their main mission is reconnaissance. The Reaper is the first true hunter-killer UAV, and its 66-foot wingspan and the ability to carry up to 1.5 tons of laser-guided bombs and other ordinance makes the better known ones, such as the USAF Predator look like timid little sparrows in comparision - just look at the picture below if you don't believe me!

Supposedly, the Reaper can do the targeting-pod recon and close air support that manned jets most commonly find themselves tasked with at about 1/3rd of the cost , without the operational expenses or potential danger to the pilots.

Welcome to the SkyNet era! John Connors anyone?

[RSS newsfeeds, NYT, Giz; Google imgs]