Hunter Killer

ISBN-10: 9780451474872
ISBN-13: 978-0451474872
AUTHOR: T. Mark Mccurley, Kevin Maurer
PAGES: 376
FORMAT: Soft Cover

"Hunter Killer: The True Story of the Drone Mission That Killed Anwar al-Awlaki" delves into the high-stakes world of September 2011. Following the demise of Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden, the United States fixated on a new priority: American-born terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki. In a bid to eliminate this grave threat, Air Force Lt. Col. T. Mark McCurley and his squadron faced an extraordinary challenge, repurposing their RPAs (remotely piloted aircraft) from surveillance tools to strategic weapons.

The mission's success held tremendous significance, given that al-Awlaki was the face of al-Qaeda's propaganda machinery, and his removal could disrupt AQ's recruitment efforts. With limited time and firepower, the fate of this mission hinged on McCurley and his Predators.

In this gripping account, "Hunter Killer" unveils the evolution of the RPA program through Lt. Col. McCurley's eyes, a narrative previously untold. From their initial sixty-day surveillance of al-Awlaki to the momentous day when the drones were ordered to strike, this book sheds light on a critical victory in the war on terror, where technology and human expertise converged to change the course of modern warfare.