By Richard A. Kerr, ScienceNOW

We’re used to an image of a Predator drone as a solo killer, hunting terrorists in the skies above Pakistan or Yemen. But above the Balkans in the 90s, the robotic planes spotted targets for NATO pilots to attack, and continued in that support role during the early years of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. And during the final moments of Moammar Gadhafi’s life, the Predator returned to those roots — this time, with backup from French fighter jets.

Details are still hazy. But early Thursday, a 100-car convoy suspiciously rolled out of the besieged Gadhafi stronghold of Sirte. You might think that...