XBradTC

Review copy courtesy of Henry Holt and Company, the publishers.

Richard Wittle, who has already published a history of the development of the MV-22 Osprey, just launched his newest book, Predator- The Secret Origins of the Drone Revolution.

Just over 300 pages long, the book does a good job of not focusing on extraneous technical details, but rather on the people who brought about the Predator program. Focusing on the development of the Predator from the early 1990s to its first uses as a Hellfire armed weapon system in Afghanistan in 2002, the story is rich with biography of the key players in the program.

First we get to cheer the plucky underdog garage inventor. Then the complex machinations that brought investors in, while struggling to overcome deep seated apathy by the military.

And once the military becomes involved, it’s a tale of a small team struggling to gain acceptance from the big boys, until a triumph of innovation makes a major splash.

To me, the most frustrating part was the early operations in Afghanistan. One of the key lessons of Desert Storm was supposed to be the strength of decentralizing decision making to the operational level. And yet, the very first operations in Afghanistan involved the very upper echelons of command almost literally hovering over the shoulders of the man with a  finger on the trigger.

Whittle’s writing is easy, and the book is only a touch over 300 pages, not counting the extensive notes.

Easily recommended, 3-1/2 stars out of 5.