ICYMI: The drone that almost killed bin Laden
Angry Planet29 Joulu 2016

ICYMI: The drone that almost killed bin Laden

Months before 9/11, U.S. Air Force captain Scott Swanson patrolled the skies over Afghanistan with a Predator drone. Swanson and his team were hunting Osama bin Laden. And they found him. But this was months before the new drones could fire missiles, and the pilots could only watch as bin Laden walked away. On Jan 23, 2001 – just three days into George W. Bush’s presidency – a Predator drone test fired a Hellfire missile for the first time. A new age of war had begun. Swanson is the first human to use a Predator-fired Hellfire missile to take a life. From a trailer truck in a garage behind CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, Swanson loosed a missile from a drone roughly 7,000 miles away in Kandahar. The missile struck its target – a pickup truck outside a building that intelligence said was hiding Taliban leader Mohammad Omar. The missile hit and killed two of Omar’s bodyguards. This week on War College, we replay our conversation with Swanson. He walks us through the early years of the drone program, how it changed him, and how it changed the world. (Corrects distance from Langley to Kandahar from 2,500 miles to 7,000 miles in fourth paragraph)

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/warcollege.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jaksot(493)

TEASER: The Case for World War III Breaking Out This Summer

TEASER: The Case for World War III Breaking Out This Summer

Sign up at angryplanetpod.com to get instant access to the full episode.A direct link to the episode on Substack.The big picture in Europe doesn’t look good. Russia is moving to encircle key cities in...

22 Touko 202412min

The Horrors Behind Your Frozen Shrimp

The Horrors Behind Your Frozen Shrimp

Americans love shrimp. They love it so much they don’t think too hard about where it comes from—or the virtual slaves who are farming them. Joshua Farinella doesn’t have that luxury.A few years ago, F...

20 Touko 202448min

TEASER: Russian Murderers Who Go to War and Come Home to Kill Again

TEASER: Russian Murderers Who Go to War and Come Home to Kill Again

Sign up at angryplanetpod.com to get instant access to the full episode.A direct link to the episode on Substack.In Russia there’s a revolving door between prisons and the frontlines. What began as a ...

2 Touko 202411min

Americans in Ukraine Looking for ‘Daybreak’

Americans in Ukraine Looking for ‘Daybreak’

Luke Paxton and Han Lee know a good cause when they see one. When Russia invades Ukraine in 2022, the American vets know what they need to do. Their time in Afghanistan has given them the skills to he...

29 Huhti 20241h 1min

An Insider's Critique of Israel

An Insider's Critique of Israel

The war between Israel and Hamas, which began on Oct. 7 when terrorists overran the Gaza frontier and killed more than 1,200 Israelis, is now more than six months old. More than 100 Israeli hostages a...

22 Huhti 20241h 3min

TEASER: Crawl Out Through the ‘Fallout’

TEASER: Crawl Out Through the ‘Fallout’

Sign up at angryplanetpod.com to get instant access to the full episode.A direct link to the episode on Substack.A successful TV adaptation of the Fallout video game franchise has everyone excited abo...

19 Huhti 202418min

What Happens to the World When China and the U.S. ‘Face Off’?

What Happens to the World When China and the U.S. ‘Face Off’?

Go here to listen to Face-OffJane Perlez is a veteran foreign correspondent, the former Bejing Bureau Chief for The New York Times, and host of the new podcast “Face-Off.” She’s on Angry Planet today ...

12 Huhti 20241h 2min

The Origins of Haiti’s Gangs and What Comes Next

The Origins of Haiti’s Gangs and What Comes Next

Violence thrives in countries where political solutions to conflict have failed. On this episode of Angry Planet, Jeffsky Poincy comes on the show to walk us through the origins of Haiti’s gang proble...

10 Huhti 202444min

Suosittua kategoriassa Politiikka ja uutiset

aikalisa
rss-ootsa-kuullut-tasta
tervo-halme
ootsa-kuullut-tasta-2
politiikan-puskaradio
rss-podme-livebox
viisupodi
rss-asiastudio
et-sa-noin-voi-sanoo-esittaa
otetaan-yhdet
rikosmyytit
rss-vaalirankkurit-podcast
linda-maria
the-ulkopolitist
rss-mina-ukkola
rss-merja-mahkan-rahat
popcorn-with-esko
rss-pykalien-takaa
rss-polikulaari-humanisti-vastaa-ja-muut-ts-podcastit
rss-50100-podcast