So what did those Predator drones really do in Gulf War II? The New York Times has some answers:
About 15 Predators are operating in Iraq roughly a third of the Air Force's total fleet and they have flown more than 100 missions in the war...
With its ability to loiter continuously for 24 hours or more at 15,000 feet above the battlefield, Predators have sent live video to AC-130 gunships, spotted targets like surface-to-surface missiles for A-10 and Tornado ground-attack planes, and flown reconnaissance missions...
Predators have flown surveillance on every major mission of the war, from the two airstrikes against Saddam Hussein to the rescue of Pfc. Jessica D. Lynch, beaming back live color video images (black-and-white at night) so precisely with a 1,500-millimeter zoom lens that analysts can discern uniformed soldiers from civilians from more than three miles away...
At least three Predators have been lost in the war, including two older ones that were stripped of their sensors and sent up as cannon fodder to reveal Iraqi gun emplacements. Both survived their missions and were deliberately flown into lakes, away from civilians, when their fuel ran out.
