Warplanes: August 2, 2000

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gusts of wind from blowing them off target.--Stephen V Cole

The US Air Force is reviewing possible weapons for the Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. The Predator was designed for recon, but has enough payload to carry a weapon that could allow it to attack a target it finds. Candidate weapons include the 250-pound Small Smart Bomb, the Hellfire missile, and the Low Cost Autonomous Attack System. There were concerns at one point that an armed Predator might be considered an illegal medium-range nuclear missile, but since it is designed to return to base it is now considered to be legal under the INF treaty.--Stephen V