Drones over the U.S. ???

[osoab]

Government under pressure to open US skies to unmanned drones despite safety concerns (http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-ap-us-drones-over-america%2c0%2c1052446.story)


WASHINGTON (AP) — Unmanned aircraft have proved their usefulness and reliability in the war zones of Afghanistan and Iraq. Now the pressure's on to allow them in the skies over the United States.

The Federal Aviation Administration has been asked to issue flying rights for a range of pilotless planes to carry out civilian and law-enforcement functions but has been hesitant to act. Officials are worried that they might plow into airliners, cargo planes and corporate jets that zoom around at high altitudes, or helicopters and hot air balloons that fly as low as a few hundred feet off the ground.

On top of that, these pilotless aircraft come in a variety of sizes. Some are as big as a small airliner, others the size of a backpack. The tiniest are small enough to fly through a house window.

The obvious risks have not deterred the civilian demand for pilotless planes. Tornado researchers want to send them into storms to gather data. Energy companies want to use them to monitor pipelines. State police hope to send them up to capture images of speeding cars' license plates. Local police envision using them to track fleeing suspects.

Like many robots, the planes have advantages over humans for jobs that are dirty, dangerous or dull. And the planes often cost less than piloted aircraft and can stay aloft far longer.

"There is a tremendous pressure and need to fly unmanned aircraft in (civilian) airspace," Hank Krakowski, FAA's head of air traffic operations, told European aviation officials recently. "We are having constant conversations and discussions, particularly with the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security, to figure out how we can do this safely with all these different sizes of vehicles."

There are two types of unmanned planes: Drones, which are automated planes programmed to fly a particular mission, and aircraft that are remotely controlled by someone on the ground, sometimes from thousands of miles away.


more @ link

Heck, they can use these to enforce our behavior modification.

I have always figure they have been using them already.

Later on in the link, the article talks about using GPS locating of aircraft versus the current radar based. For real time location, none the less.

[Horn]

The primary need would be to spy on the population, no?

Maybe do a quick strike as judge, jury, and executioner when the conditions are proper? :imskerd:

We all should become amatuer meteorologists and send up balloons immediately.

[osoab]

We all should become amatuer meteorologists and send up balloons immediately.


Nitrous? ;D

[k-os]

So, who is pressuring the government to open US skies to drones? Let me guess . . . the government? I want to know exactly what the "tremendous pressure and need" is to fly unmanned aircraft.

The article only mentions the need for drones on the border and coastline to spot drug runners and illegals, coincidentally in areas in which drones are already in use.

Then comes this: "Other lawmakers want an overall plan to speed up use of the planes beyond the border."

Why the need to have drones go beyond the border? Hmmm? Nothing good will come of this.

[osoab]

So, who is pressuring the government to open US skies to drones? Let me guess . . . the government? I want to know exactly what the "tremendous pressure and need" is to fly unmanned aircraft.

The article only mentions the need for drones on the border and coastline to spot drug runners and illegals, coincidentally in areas in which drones are already in use.

Then comes this: "Other lawmakers want an overall plan to speed up use of the planes beyond the border."

Why the need to have drones go beyond the border? Hmmm? Nothing good will come of this.


They add in the article that Energy companies would like the use to inspect power lines. Then they add that the police depts would like to catch speeders and those fleeing police.

It's all harmless .Oh definitely. ;)

[Gaillo]

Around these parts, we call them "Skeet". ;D

[Dave Thomas]

Oh I'm sure there is NO END to the lines of private companies like Boeing and Lockheed that will profit tremendously from a move like this. Not to mention the army of private support contractors, and service companies.

It's a WIN-WIN for the Military industrial complex.

[k-os]

Around these parts, we call them "Skeet". ;D


Now you're talkin'!

[osoab]

Around these parts, we call them "Skeet". ;D


Nice.

[Ponce]

LOL Gaillo, good one..........

In the beginning when they started to fly the drones the instructor was a 19 year old kid that was an ace playing with machines.......they called him into the service and here you had a PFC telling the brass what to do.

They are always short on drones pilots with many of them at the controls for up to 18 hours............the drones in Iraq are being operated from a base next to Las Vegas, the one for Afgha I am not sure about.......same place I think.

Very interesting times ahead with the flying "skeet's"...........

[osoab]

They are always short on drones pilots with many of them at the controls for up to 18 hours............the drones in Iraq are being operated from a base next to Las Vegas, the one for Afgha I am not sure about.......same place I think.


Another reason in the article was that some drones could fly for 20 hours while helicopters can only handle 2.

I guess this is just another way to conserve. :P

[Ponce]

Not only that osoab but another pilot can go home to sleep while a new fresh pilot takes over.

Best thing to say when you go in the army is to say that as a "hobby" you like to fly radio controlled planes.......that will keep you out of the sand and dust.

[gunDriller]

in 2007 there was a news article about 10 UAV's (Global Hawk or Predator, I forget) being deployed to a US military base near Yuba City, California (small city near Lake Tahoe & Nevada border).

in their previous use, these 2 UAV's have been used for surveillance (i'm sure the military has some fancy term for this, like "SIGINT") and for firing missiles (to kill alleged terrorists).

Global Hawk & Predator are made by Northrop Grumman and General Atomics, both in San Diego; I forget who makes which one.

I agree, it is a bad omen indeed if machines with this field history have been deployed domestically.


i don't suppose any of you know any plane-spotters ? these are people that enjoy the hobby of sitting at the airport with binoculars & watching planes. some of them were instrumental in confirming the CIA's foreign rendition programs back in about 2004, early in the War of Terror. Some European plane-spotters.


anyway, my guess is, drones/ UAV's (unmanned aerial vehicles) in the US is a done deal.

they've already admitted having them at the borders, and for sure they are at the military bases where they are tested, such as Fort Huachaca in Arizona (Army base that does a lot of contract work with the CIA, who is one of the primary end-users).


as far as what they look like -
Global Hawk -
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/images/AIR_UAV_RQ-4_Global_Hawk_High_Flight_lg.jpg

http://abriefhistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/global-hawk-1.jpg

in the second pic, the white pod on the bottom strikes me as typical of what is used to cover up a missile.

[osoab]

in the second pic, the white pod on the bottom strikes me as typical of what is used to cover up a missile.


What is the length/size of the pics gD? As far as the pod or missle, what would be the capabilities? Different missles for different sizes?

[gunDriller]

in the second pic, the white pod on the bottom strikes me as typical of what is used to cover up a missile.


What is the length/size of the pics gD? As far as the pod or missle, what would be the capabilities? Different missles for different sizes?


they're big, 15 to 20 feet long.

the big ones can carry enough missile to destroy a car with 4 people in it. In one case a some people including one alleged Al Qaeda were hightailing it across the Saudi Arabian desert in a Jeep or something and the UAV fired a missile at it, killing one alleged bad guy and his companions. I'm pretty sure that was a Global Hawk or Predator drone.

they have a lot of smaller ones. Israel has the Heron -

http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/images/AIR_UAV_Heron_Canada_lg.jpg

hard to tell how big it is. MDA is McDonald Detwiler, a satellite technology company in Canada.

"Israel Aerospace Industries’ Heron is a large MALE UAV in the MQ-1 Predator’s Class. It is primarily used as a surveillance UAV over land and sea, and can be equipped with a number of modular radar, sensor, and even electronic intelligence packages. The 2006 war in Lebanon also demonstrated that they could be armed, if necessary. Herons are known to serve with Israel (Heron 1 and Heron TP), India, Turkey, and in France as the SIDM/EAGLE EuroMALE variant. They have also been used successfully by US SOUTHCOM as drug interdiction aircraft; a leasing deal with El Salvador is reportedly pending, and Brazil is also showing interest."

http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/cat/geographical-focus/middle-east-israel/

Jesus, they're used all over the place.

[osoab]

Jesus, they're used all over the place.


Lower overhead?

I see in Canada, they are using the reason for search and rescue.


July 10/08: MDA and IAI are promoting the Heron UAVs as a cheaper option for search-and rescue (SAR) and related surveillance tasks over Canada’s boreal forests and northern regions. An exercise in Suffield, Alberta involves the Heron UAV finding the wreckage of a ‘crashed’ Cessna, and coordinating the ‘rescue’ of Canadian MP Art Hangar. The Canadian Civil Air Search and Rescue Association attended and commented approvingly, and the Discovery Channel filmed the exercise. MDA release | Red Deer Advocate story, PDFs.

[gunDriller]

Lower overhead?


less explaining to do if one gets shot down.

here's a pic of another one - no radome type covering for the missiles -

http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/7/2010/06/500x_uav4tf3-1024x768.jpg

[Ponce]

The host coutries ( or buyers) don't know this but.......all Israelis drones are also sending the videos to the state of Israel..........one way for "them" to gather info about everyone for future reference and use.