Business & Tech
The Lake Forest Engineer Who Built The Predator Drone
Abraham Karem developed the first remotely controlled flying machines used by the American military. In 1983, he built the prototype in his basement.
Abraham Karem's company may be headquartered in Lake Forest, but his work can usually be found hovering far above a soon-to-be-destroyed military target.
The Washington Post released a profile Monday of Karem, the 74-year-old engineer who developed the Predator Drone, the unmanned flying machine the military uses for surveillance and precision strikes.
Karem, who served in the Israeli Air Force before emigrating to America in 1977, built the Predator prototype in his garage in Hacienda Heights in 1983.
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The Pentagon plans to spend at least $40 billion on similar machines over the next year, according to the story.
Karem's company, Karem Aircraft, is based in Lake Forest, and is developing a 737-style plane that can take off vertically, without the need for a runway.
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The project is called the Aerotrain.
