They dream of doing so at any point on the globe from their own territory within a maximum of three hours. Combat drones Defence chiefs hope that by the year 2020 remote-controlled carrier drones will allow strikes to be organised with even greater accuracy, delivering guided munitions. Some ten years before that, the American air force will have developed a new type of combat drone capable of engaging in manoeuvres beyond what the human body can withstand. This is the fourth dimension of warfare, and its strategic and tactical roles are becoming increasingly important. This is the only really new technology on the battlefield.
Snipers can thus no longer watch and fire without being seen.
Some guns are already fitted with lasers connected to a computer that calculates the trajectory the bullet must take to hit a hidden marksman, even behind a window. The United States are currently developing a laser mounted on a 747 to shoot down Scud missiles. And Miracle, the satellite-killing laser, has just been spectacularly tested, giving the United States mastery of space. Again in Haiti, several GI units were equipped with digital mini-cameras on their helmets to film their surroundings direct, the pictures being transmitted to headquarters in Washington. The American armed forces' laboratories are also working on the use of holographic images to play on the fears and superstitions of certain peoples.