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The Predator drone is a key tool in the Pentagon's War on Terror, logging more than 1 million miles over scores of countries since its 1995 introduction.
The drone went from helpful to deadly when it was armed with the Hellfire missile in 2001. It is responsible for taking down dozens of top al Qaeda operatives.
More than 350 have been built over 17 years at a cost of around $70 billion and they've been performing 34 strikes a week this year, in Pakistan alone.
Despite the controversy surrounding their use, and the collateral deaths of innocent civilians incurred during strikes, the use of Predator drones will likely remain a U.S. practice for the indefinite future.
The Predator can fly nearly 500 miles to a target and linger in the air for 14 hours
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A fully-loaded Predator, like this one, weighs 2,250 pounds
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The Predator has a wingspan of 48.7 feet, stands almost seven feet tall and is 27 feet long
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See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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