General Atomics
How a reconnaissance aircraft nobody wanted became the Predator drone — and reshaped modern warfare from a control room in the Nevada desert.
General atomics built the predator drone in the 1990s as a reconnaissance aircraft for the U.S. military. It was slow, unarmed, and costly to develop. The defense establishment doubted anyone needed an unmanned plane when manned fighters existed. Skepticism nearly killed the program before it launched and proved its value. The innovation was adding missiles. General atomics weaponized the predator, then built the larger reaper. These drones could loiter for eight hours, relay video to commanders thousands of miles away, and strike with precision. One pilot in Nevada could eliminate targets in Afghanistan without risking aircraft or crew. The cost per flight hour was a fraction of traditional fighters.
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