Right before the July 4 holiday, the U.S. government released its first official report on civilian casualties of America's long-running drone attacks on terror suspects in war zones across the globe.The report estimates fewer than 120 civilians have died in errant strikes since 2009 – far fewer than many independent experts and humanitarian organizations cite. "There is no doubt,” President Barack Obama noted, “that civilians were killed that shouldn't have been."Yet, drones are set to become even deadlier. The U.S. Air Force, the world's No. 1 drone operator, is developing cutting-edge technologies that look more like science fiction – and could make its warplanes far more lethal. Each pilot could ultimately control a squad of small drones, while large unmanned drones could take on more challenging missions.On tap within the next 20 years are far-advanced big and small drones, as well as laser and other directed-energy weapons. Hypersonic munitions that travel five times the spee...
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