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Predator: The Remote-Control Air War over Iraq and Afghanistan: A Pilot's Story Hardcover – November 12, 2010

by Matt J. Martin (Author), Charles W. Sasser (Author)

41 customer reviews

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The Nintendo generation has taken to the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan where remotely controlled aircraft are killing America¹s enemies and saving American lives.

Matt J. Martin is considered a "top gun" in the world of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). For nearly four years, he has flown hundreds of missions on two warfronts in a new kind of combat that, until recently, was largely classified Top Secret. He and his fellow Predator pilots have been actively involved in virtually every facet of the War on Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan: tracking Osama bin Laden; capturing top al-Qaeda leader al-Zarqawi; fighting with the U.S. Marines in Fallujah; and rescuing aid workers kidnapped in Afghanistan by the Taliban.

This is Matt J. Martin's story and that of his aircraft, the 27-foot long Predator.

Predator: The Remote-Control Air War over Iraq and Afghanistan: A Pilot's Story

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Pacific Flyer

“As for the writing, it's near perfect, flows smoothly and has that certain flair that all of us who type for a living seek to achieve. Best of all, it's a great story, previously untold, by the guy who actually did it."

Air & Space Smithsonian
"...a fascinating tale of the challenges of flying a touchy, mule-stubborn, expensive robot from half a world away."

Military Heritage
"Be prepared to mentally strap yourself into the pilot's seat while reading this book. The author takes the reader through the streets of Balad, Baghdad, and other trouble areas of Iraq during his tour of duty. There is, however, one major difference. Martin himself was not actually seated in the plan, but flying it remotely, sometimes as far away as Nellis Air Force base in Nevada."

Military Times
"...gives readers an excellent sense of what it feels like to control an MQ-1B."

Midwest Book Review
"Predator offers a fine first-person account of fighting the global wars on terror. Predator missions and personal insights into a program only recently classified as 'secret' make for exciting stories of armed insurgency and urban warfare, bringing a 'you are there' feel to the idea of the Predator - a remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) - as a cold killing machine. No military collection should be without this unique assessment."

Bookviews by Alan Caruba
"Predator tells how this remotely piloted aircraft has had an impact on the modern battlefield. Superb in its ability to provide reconnaissance and to deliver death to the enemy with Hellfire missiles, these aircraft have a crew that are sometimes a half a world away from the missions they’re flying. Lt. Col. Martin provides a first-person account of the fight against global terrorism. It is filled with exciting stories of chasing and attacking armed insurgents in Baghdad or across the desert countryside. Because of the television cameras, the crews experience warfare more closely than traditional bomber crews."

From the Inside Flap

The MQ-1 Predator is a remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) used for forward observation and reconnaissance as well as targeted attacks with its two Hellfire missiles. Frequently referred to as a drone or even a robot in the press, the insectlike craft is sometimes spoken of as though it were an autonomous machine, coldly killing according to its programming. In reality, the RPA has a crew like any other aircraft—except for the fact that the crew is not on board, but safely on the ground and sometimes half a world away from the missions they’re flying.

Predator is Lt. Col. Matt J. Martin's first-person account of fighting the Global War on Terror over Iraq and Afghanistan from the controls of an RPA. From his training in Nevada to being stationed in Iraq—where his base came under attack even if he was "safe" on the ground during Predator missions—Martin provides personal insights into a program that until recently was largely classified secret.

There are exciting stories of chasing and attacking armed insurgents in Baghdad and the desert countryside as well as heart-wrenching accounts of the inevitable collateral damage of urban warfare. Ironically, due to monitors fed by the Predator's targeting camera, even if stationed far away from the action, these crews witness the effects of their attacks far more closely than traditional bomber crews physically present above their targets. Regardless of where the reader stands on the war, the myth of the Predator as a cold killing machine is put to rest through the struggles of the people serving in these remote-controlled battles against insurgents and terrorists.

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Product details

Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Zenith Press; First edition (November 12, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0760338965
ISBN-13: 978-0760338964
Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.2 x 8.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 41 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,180,080 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #339 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Military > Afghan & Iraq Wars > Afghan War
- #468 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Military > Afghan & Iraq Wars > Iraq War
- #1128 in Books > History > Military > Iraq War

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An interesting book about what it's like to pilot a Predator

Bysienon February 14, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Predator: The Remote-Control Air War over Iraq and Afghanistan: A Pilot's Story (2010) by Matt Martin and Charles Sasser is a book that relates the experience of being a Predator drone pilot and officer during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Martin was a college ROTC Air Force Officer who wanted to become a fighter pilot but who then wanted to fly for the Air Force. He took the opportunity as soon as he could to pilot Predator drones and became one of the first group of pilots to fly the plane. One of the remarkable things about the predator is that it is flown in Iraq and Afghanistan from US soil except for landing and takeoff that are done by crews on base. Martin relates how strange it is to drive to work in a US city, work flying an aircraft observing and striking at the Taliban and then return home for dinner.

The book provides more detail about the Predator than the interesting but flawed Wired For War. The weaknesses in the system are discussed. The Ku band data link used by the vehicle sometimes goes down and the plane flies itself autonomously. However during these times any target being tracked is lost. Predators have also had fairly high loss rates due to accidents while few, if any, have been lost in Iraq and Afghanistan due to hostile fire.

The Predator carries Hellfire missiles that allow targets to be struck very accurately. Initially the command loop for using these missiles was very time-consuming and insurgents were often able to escape before an order to fire was received but the way in which the drones are controlled has been changed.

The book is also interspersed with descriptions that Martin uses to describe himself that feel a little contrived. His description of his relationship with his wife is better done. There is also a bit of the usual office gossip in a military setting of these books. Martin also gives his view of the war which is the very standard US military view of how righteous the US military is and how he is 'saving lives' which is a bit strange. His inability to see that perhaps the US killing people on the other side of the planet in their country may be a little morally ambiguous, to say the least, is probably what you need to be a successful soldier in an imperial army though.

Martin's descriptions of hitting civilians when attacking insurgents are heartfelt and he conveys his own sense of sorrow well. He also legitimately rationalises the actions of the Predator as being far more precise that most airborne weapons. Given this Martin makes an interesting point that he has to get more authorisation to fire a Hellfire than a fighter has to get to drop thousands of kilograms of bombs. Martin also gives figures and relates how he believes that the Predators are, contrary to some accounts, efficient in terms of the numbers of insurgents they kill compared to the numbers of civilians killed. He also points out that insurgents deliberately hide in friendly civilian dwellings in order to make it so that civilian casualties will occur if they are attacked.

The book is an interesting insight into what is likely to become a far more common way of fighting in the twenty-first century. Martin's account is an account of a pioneer flying a new kind of aircraft in conflict. It's well worth reading for anyone interested in robotics or in the conflicts that the US is now fighting in.

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Eye Opening and Moving

Byroger hunteron December 9, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I found this to be an eye-opening description of the conflicting feelings experienced by those who fly the drones in the combat zones but then have to return to their "normal" lives when their shift is complete. The feelings expressed by Lt. Col. Martin regarding the deaths of innocent people who happened to be in the "wrong place at the wrong time" were moving and very troubling. I have a friend who flew combat missions in SE Asia and said that it wasn't as painful to his psyche since he dropped the bombs and was gone from the area without first-hand witnessing the destruction. Well written and surprisingly open for an experienced combat veteran as Mr. Martin.

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Fascinating!

ByTimon March 21, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I found this a fascinating read and learned a great deal about the Predator and USAF operations in Iraq and Afghanistan using these special unmanned aerial vehicles.

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Important perspective on vital issue

ByS.L. Meisteron May 1, 2013

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Matt Martin's book is an important contribution to a fuller understanding of an issue that is garnering more and more attention thanks to activists like Medea Benjamin and her organization CODEPINK. If you can set aside the healthy dose of bravado (he is a pilot after all) and his too many disparaging cracks at ICBM professionals (he was one once - I am proud to be one now), Martin's first-hand account sheds light on the role that Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPAs) have on today's modern battlefield. It sometimes has to come from reading between the lines, but Martin's humanity is clearly revealed as he recounts the frustrations, the successes, and the horrors that he witnessed through the live video of his weapon system. It's important to remember the human frailties on both ends of whatever kill-chain you want to talk about. Martin does an excellent job of reminding us that war - no matter how remote or how sanitized - has real consequences.

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The Major's Not a Drone

ByP. Weiseron March 27, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Very interesting and competently written autobiographical telling of the author's experience flying UAVs (which morphed into UCAVs - the "C" is for "Combat") during the Afghan and second Iraq wars. Having had similar experiences (including missile duty, though not at Wing 5), can closely sympathize with his course from there to private pilot to U(C)AV pilot. Telling details; his experience getting on a general's $*** list for completing an operation when recalled by the general's flunkies talllies with other stories I've heard from reliable sources about creeping top-heaviness in the waning Afghan and Iraq campaigns.

Narrative jumps around a bit; some exposition on drones -> UAVs -> UCAVs that slows it a bit. But as a first-person account of a critical subject it's first-rate.

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A well-balanced and entertaining read

ByDillon Valderemaoon February 22, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

A very enjoyable read. It was interesting and entertaining and, despite its sensitive nature was a very well-balanced look into the recent conflict in the Middle East. Martin gives a side of the story which is often ignored in the media and he does it in a passionate, yet compassionate way. Predator provides an insight into modern warfare and provides some clues as to the direction of the future. Read this if you have an interest in modern warfare and are open-minded enough to accept the complexity of the conflict.

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Cool read

ByRobbienzon April 22, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This was a pretty cool read..... certainly the writer (Major Martin) gives a first-hand account of how Predator drones were flown in Iraq and Afghanistan and how the were used to target insurgents. Unlike many people who go on and on about how "they" (whoever they are...) target civilians, this is certainly not how Major Martin describes it. "They" who fly the planes are humans with a conscience and worldview that, unlike the insurgents, try to save lives rather than kill innocents. On the occasions where innocents were unfortunately killed, and it is described in the book in a few places, the horrifying emotional side of the job experienced by the drone pilots and their co-pilots is evidenced. Overall a very good and enjoyable read.