Unblinking - Rise of the Modern Superdrones (Hardcover)

"Unblinking: Rise of the Modern Superdrones" captures the revolutionary change taking place in the use of unmanned aircraft for warfare. Once they were towed as passive targets for gunnery practice; then, transformed into secretive, supersonic spy platforms. The once-humble drone, at the periphery of military operations, is increasingly crucial and at the center of nearly all military operations of the 21st century.
"Unblinking "makes the case that this technology is evolving, from the drone to the unmanned aerial vehicle to the super drone: bigger, more capable, integrated with other aircraft in peacetime and capable of heretofore unknown combat missions in the case of war. With the acclaimed photography of aviation photographer Erik Hildebrandt, the essays by Richard Parker provide an overview of the drone's long, if often secretive, warfare - from World War II, involving the death of a Kennedy, through the Cold War, in flying supersonic spy missions.
The wartime experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq are examined, based upon firsthand research and interviews with some of the military's top thinkers, as well as drawing upon the best published works. But as America shifts its attention - and its military might - to the Pacific, the story and images increasingly turn to that region of the world, the challenge posed by China's historic, high-technology modernization and the crucial roles new super drones will play over the world's largest ocean - in peacetime and, potentially, in war.
"Unblinking "turns its attention to what super drones are already doing and what they will do, both in operations at sea as well as the special operations conducted by America's stealth warriors, under the U.S. Special Operations Command. The story examines the roles and privacy rights challenges that will arise at home, too, as these aircraft take to the skies. And it concludes with a visionary, insightful and even foreboding discussion with the man who brought drones out of their Cold War closet and into the modern American military.
Erik Hildebrandt is one of the most acclaimed aviation photographers in the country and his work has appeared in leading defense journals worldwide. Richard Parker is an award-winning journalist, syndicated columnist and regular contributor to the Op-Ed section of "The New York Times."