Beyond Bayonets and Battleships - Drones Now Rule Airspace

[thorfourwinds]

Greetings:

We found this to be of interest:




RQ-1 Predator is a long-endurance, medium-altitude unmanned aircraft system for surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Surveillance imagery from synthetic aperture radar, video cameras and a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) can be distributed in real-time both to the front line soldier and to the operational commander, or worldwide in real-time via satellite communication links. MQ-1, armed with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, is the multi-role version which is used for armed reconnaissance and interdiction.


Beyond Bayonets and Battleships: Space Warfare and the Future of U.S. Global Power | Global Research

Launched as an experimental, unarmed surveillance aircraft in 1994, the Predator drone was first deployed in 2000 for combat surveillance under the CIA's "Operation Afghan Eyes."

By 2011, the advanced MQ-9 Reaper drone, with "persistent hunter killer" capabilities, was heavily armed with missiles and bombs as well as

sensors that could read disturbed dirt at 5,000 feet (1 mile!) and track footprints back to enemy installations.

Indicating the torrid pace of drone development, between 2004 and 2010 total flying time for all unmanned vehicles rose from just 71 hours to 250,000 hours.
...

At the lowest tier of this emerging US aerospace shield, within striking distance of Earth in the lower stratosphere, the Pentagon is building an armada of 99 Global Hawk drones equipped with high-resolution cameras capable of surveilling all terrain within a 100-mile radius, electronic sensors to intercept communications, efficient engines for continuous 24-hour flights, and eventually Triple Terminator missiles to destroy targets below.

By late 2011, the Air Force and the CIA had already ringed the Eurasian land mass with a network of 60 bases for drones armed with Hellfire missiles and GBU-30 bombs, allowing air strikes against targets just about anywhere in Europe, Africa, or Asia.
...

If things go according to plan, in this same lower tier at altitudes up to 12 miles unmanned aircraft such as the Vulture, with solar panels covering its massive 400-foot wingspan, will be patrolling the globe ceaselessly for up to five years at a time with sensors for "unblinking" surveillance, and possibly missiles for lethal strikes.

DARPA's Vulture Program Enters Phase II, demonstrating over one month of continued flight with a near-full-scale flight demonstrator. Photo: DARPA

Establishing the viability of this new technology, NASA's solar-powered aircraft Pathfinder, with a 100-foot wingspan, reached an altitude of 71,500 feet altitude in 1997, and its fourth-generation successor the Helios flew at 97,000 feet with a 247-foot wingspan in 2001, two miles higher than any previous aircraft.


For the next tier above the Earth, in the upper stratosphere, DARPA and the Air Force are collaborating in the development of the Falcon Hypersonic Cruise Vehicle.

Illustration of Hypersonic Test Vehicle (HTV) 2 reentry phase

Flying at an altitude of 20 miles, it is expected to "deliver 12,000 pounds of payload at a distance of 9,000 nautical miles from the continental United States in less than two hours." Although the first test launches in April 2010 and August 2011 crashed midflight, they did reach an amazing 13,000 miles per hour, 22 times the speed of sound, and sent back "unique data" that should help resolve remaining aerodynamic problems.

At the outer level of this triple-tier aerospace canopy, the age of space warfare dawned in April 2010 when the Pentagon quietly launched the X-37B space drone, an unmanned craft just 29 feet long, into an orbit 250 miles above the Earth.

By the time its second prototype landed at Vandenberg Air Force Base in June 2012 after a 15-month flight, this classified mission represented a successful test of "robotically controlled reusable spacecraft" and established the viability of unmanned space drones in the exosphere...

Further reading:

Professor Richard Falk

The Menace of Present and Future Drone Warfare

Richard Falk is an international law and international relations scholar who taught at Princeton University for forty years.  In his recent article The Menace of Present and Future Drone Warfare, he places the growing use of drones in their historical and political context.  The full article is highly recommended reading.  Here we excerpt the final paragraphs, reproduced with his kind permission.

The U.S. reliance on attack drones to engage in targeted killing, especially in third countries (Yemen, Somalia, Ethiopia, Pakistan) has raised controversial international law issues of sovereign rights in interaction with lethal acts of war, especially those far removed from the zone of live combat.

The increasing reliance on drones during the Obama presidency has produced unintended deaths, civilians in the vicinity of the target and attacks directed at the wrong personnel, as with the NATO helicopter attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers who had been deployed near the Afghan border on November 25, 2011, provoking a major international incident (although not a drone attack, it was linked by angered Pakistani officials to similar mis-targeting by drones).

There are also unconfirmed reports of drone follow up raids at sites of targeted killing that seem directed at those who mount rescue operations or arrange funerals for prior victims...

      

   
The Proliferation of Space Warfare Technology
      
Article Highlights

> Given how easily information can spread about the globe today, it's inevitable that space warfare technology will proliferate.

> And once one country sets its sights on space domination, other countries are sure to follow, spurring a second arms race of sorts.

> That's why the international community and U.S. policy makers need to begin discussing the ramifications of pursuing military space immediately...

      


Space Warfare: Preparing the "Battlespace" for A New Imperial Adventure

"Space superiority is not our birthright, but it is our destiny. ... Space superiority is our day-to-day mission. Space supremacy is our vision for the future."
General Lance W. Lord, Commander, AFSPC

Last spring, Antifascist Calling reported on the launch of the Pentagon's secretive X-37B mini space shuttle, a 29-foot long unmanned orbital test vehicle (OTV).

Built by Boeing Corporation, the multibillion dollar project was the culmination of a decades-long dream of Pentagon space warriors: to field a reusable spacecraft that combines an airplane's agility with the means to travel at 5 miles per second in orbit.

After the craft's successful April 22 launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) denied that the X-37B was a prototype for a near-earth weapons platform...


America Threatens Global Security with WMD: Former Russian Air Force Commander Slams US 'Space Plane'

...

"The aggressors from space could turn Russia into something like Iraq or Yugoslavia,"

Kornukov said, referring to the destruction caused by past US air raids in both countries.

The US Air Force has flatly rejected suggestions that the X-37 project could mark the beginning of the weaponization of space.

Drone NewSpeak

"Unmanned systems increase our human potential. They enable us to execute dangerous and difficult tasks safely and efficiently, saving time, saving money and, most importantly, saving lives."

The Police Drones which are Watching You
...

Enter Increasing Human Potential, a website wholly dedicated to taking the edge off domestic drone use, its mission statement — "highlight the valuable and endless benefits of all unmanned systems and robotics."

The site, TPM explains, was launched by the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, or AUVSI — which, oddly enough, runs a separate website for its  600-plus drone-involved corporate members.

One of those members, Vanguard Defense Industries, plays a huge role in arming U.S. state and local law enforcement agencies. They produce a behemoth drone called the Shadowhawk, which is a knife-point technology for both surveillance and assault.

From a Daily Herald Report:
The ShadowHawk can be equipped with a 40 mm grenade launcher and a 12-gauge shotgun, according to its maker, Vanguard Defense Industries of Conroe, Texas.

The company doesn't sell the armed version in the United States, although "we have had interest from law-enforcement entities for deployment of nonlethal munitions from the aircraft," Vanguard CEO Michael Buscher said.


Peace Love Light

tfw   

Liberty & Equality or Revolution

[thorfourwinds]

Have you seen this drone?

[Littleenki]

Good grief, and we thought LEO was crowded!

[The Matrix Traveller]

Was the German V2 (Buzz Bomb) the first Ramjet powered Drone ?
Did they a timer on board which stopped the engine, or did they rely on the fuel to run out, for the bomb to drop ? (The more fuel, the further they flew, before dropping out of the Sky)

Or were there others used in WW2 as well ?

[ArMaP]

Was the German V2 (Buzz Bomb) the first Ramjet powered Drone ?

The V2 was a common rocket, the V1 used a pulse-jet engine.

[The Matrix Traveller]

The V2 was a common rocket, the V1 used a pulse-jet engine.

I apologize. Yes you are right I always get these 2 round the wrong way perhaps because
it's not really important...

Just to keep you happy...   

The V1...

[thorfourwinds]

Drones out of everywhere! Washington march against US drone warfare — RT USA

14 April 2013

As Washington pushes to expand its drone warfare in Africa, hundreds have gathered in front of the White House to protest the "robotic killing machines" slaughtering thousands across the globe.

Organized by the ANSWER coalition, the movement is calling on the administration to stop the use of drones on foreign soil. The coalition urges its members to stop the US government as it "functions as a death squad government, permitting the president and military leaders to create secret 'kill lists' of people who have been selected for assassination."   ??

On the organization's website people have voiced their reasons behind their protest.??"No one should sit passively and allow our government to wage a 'quiet war' - an undeclared war but a real war in our name!" Rev. Graylan Hagler, a senior minister wrote.??

"It's time we Americans join the rest of the world in condemning President Obama's barbaric drone killing spree, a policy that benefits the war profiteers but makes us hated around the world,"

Medea Benjamin, Co-Founder of CODEPINK said in his post.??Protesters on the ground have confirmed the overall message of American frustration due to drone strikes worldwide.

Protesters hold signs and chant slogans outside the White House in Washington on April 13, 2013 during a demonstration against the use of drones against Islamic militants and other perceived enemies of the US around the world. (AFP Photo/Nicholas Kamm)


"We're saying to this president, we don't like these policies that turn America into a war-mongering country, an assassination capital of the world,"

a protester has told RT.

"I don't want the government that takes my tax money and spends it murdering thousands of people around the world," another protester concurred.

Brian Becker from the anti-war coalition told the RT crew that"drones are being used to make sure that the American people are not part of the political equation" allowing wars to be carried out in total secrecy.

"A war could be raged, a real war but all the bleeding is done on one side," Becker said.

"Drones are used to violate every nation's sovereignty. The Obama administration flies them in whenever it wants and kills whoever it wants - that is not legal." Many of the participants also voiced their anger over Washington's recent move to expand its military involvement on the African continent.

"As an advocate against the re-colonization of Ivory Coast, I believe that drones will be used as war machines to re-colonize Africa. These war toys will surely target freedom fighters and activists opposing Western stooges in power in Africa," said Leo Gnawa, Coordinator for CRI-Pan African.

The North and West Africa are rapidly becoming yet another frontier of the United States' war on terror. The US has set up a drone base in Djibouti, on the Horn of Africa, and flies unarmed Reaper drones from Ethiopia. Washington has also carried out surveillance flights over East Africa from the island nation of the Seychelles.

Protesters hold signs and chant slogans outside the White House in Washington on April 13, 2013 during a demonstration against the use of drones against Islamic militants and other perceived enemies of the US around the world. (AFP Photo/Nicholas Kamm)

With the recent introduction of Predator drones in Niger the Pentagon is set to secure a drone stronghold in West Africa as the country shares a long border with Mali, where Washington believes Islamist groups have taken root. Niger also borders Libya and Nigeria two nations barely coping to contain armed extremist movements.

The Predator drones in Niger are unarmed and are conducting surveillance over Mali and Niger, but Washington has not ruled out arming them with missiles in the future.

All this, as US kick starts its African campaign by sending troops to as many as 35 African nations, citing a growing threat from extremist groups. The Department of Defense is hoping to install American soldiers overseas in order to prepare local troops there for any future crises as tensions escalate.

Drone strikes were first used after the 9/11 attacks from bases in Pakistan and Uzbekistan, in combat missions inside Afghanistan. More than a decade later, having killed almost 5,000 people, mostly civilians including women and children, Washington has expanded the use of the remotely controlled aircraft into Yemen, Somalia and most of all Pakistan. more

What is the Feasibility of Deploying Armed Drones in the US?

This talk all started when U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said in a memo that it is possible that a "hypothetical emergency" and "very unlikely scenario" can lead to a drone strike on American soil.

If we actually think there will never be a cause to have armed drone capabilities on the continental U.S., then we have ultimately failed as a nation to secure this country.

It is honestly very feasible and generally won't be too much of a hassle to get pretty good, timely and well-armed coverage over the nation.


Three strategically placed MQ-9 Reapers (one of the drones we most commonly use) could easily cover 50% of the nation, including almost the entire Eastern seaboard, our entire border with Mexico, and pretty much the entire Southwest region of the U.S.

At $36.8 million a pop for a single Reaper, that's not too bad. Legally, all armed drones would most likely have to be owned and operated by law enforcement agencies and personnel – most likely federal or possibly even the National Guard as the Posse Comitatus Act does not apply to them.

The blue circle indicates the maximum distance a MQ-9 Reaper can travel before turning back to its home base (575 miles). The red circle indicates the MQ-1 Predator can travel before returning: 387 miles.

You are probably asking yourself: "What scenarios could we possibly find a need for drone strikes?!" I came up with a couple, and I've thought about it for about 30 seconds.

   •   Terrorist scenario: Imagine al-Qaeda operatives infiltrate our nation through our border with Mexico. Intelligence already knows they are driving two vans, both laden with 2,000 pounds of explosives, each on their way to terrorize the good residents of San Diego.
       
   •   Four occupants armed to the teeth inside each van who are not afraid to trigger the explosives and turn their vehicle into a JDAM on wheels. What exactly would the police do to stop them? Chase them on the highway? Set-up a road block (that'd be comical)? It would be our responsibility as a nation to send a couple of Hellfires their way.
       
   •   Law Enforcement scenario: Christopher Dorner is a perfect example. In the span of a week, he killed two police officers, wounded another three, and murdered two civilians.
       
   •   On the last day of the manhunt on February 12th, Dorner engaged two San Bernardino deputies, killing one and wounding the other, and was in a major firefight (yes, it was "major", I heard the audio tape) with two other Fish and Game wardens before running off into the wilderness. Here we have a man, armed with an assault rifle and other weapons, who has been actively targeting police for a week, running through the woods.
       
   •   If an armed police drone was in the sky with "eyes-on" Dorner, would it have been legal and justifiable to fire a Hellfire and end his reign of terror?
       
   •   An armed drone killing Dorner would be no different than a SWAT sniper from 500 meters away shooting him in the back as he was running away from the police. The sniper would be a hero and would have been in his legal perimeters to kill Dorner.
       
Something to think about whilst not wearing a tin-foil hat. more

An Inconvenient Truth - By Micah Zenko | Foreign Policy

10 April 2013

It turns out that the Obama administration has not been honest about who the CIA has been targeting with drones in Pakistan.

Jonathan Landay, national security reporter at McClatchy Newspapers, has provided the first analysis of drone-strike victims that is based upon internal, top-secret U.S. intelligence reports.

It is the most important reporting on U.S. drone strikes to date because Landay, using U.S. government assessments, plainly demonstrates that the claim repeatedly made by President Obama and his senior aides -- that targeted killings are limited only to officials, members, and affiliates of al Qaeda who pose an imminent threat of attack on the U.S. homeland -- is false.


Senior officials and agencies have emphasized this point over and over because it is essential to the legal foundations on which the strikes are ultimately based: the 2001 Authorization to Use Military Force and the U.N. Charter's right to self-defense.

A Department of Justice white paper said that the United States can target a "senior operational leader of al-Qa'ida or an associated force" who "poses an imminent threat of violent attack against the United States." Attorney General Eric Holder said the administration targets "specific senior operational leaders of al-Qaeda and associated forces," and Harold Koh, the senior State Department legal adviser dubbed them "high-level al-Qaeda leaders who are planning attacks."

Obama said during a Google+ Hangout in January 2012: "These strikes have been in the FATA [Federally Administered Tribal Areas] and going after al-Qaeda suspects." Finally, Obama claimed in September: "Our goal has been to focus on al Qaeda and to focus narrowly on those who would pose an imminent threat to the United States of America."

At least 265 of up to 482 people who the U.S. intelligence reports estimated the CIA killed during a 12-month period ending in September 2011 were not senior al Qaida leaders but instead were "assessed" as Afghan, Pakistani and unknown extremists. Drones killed only six top al Qaida leaders in those months, according to news media accounts.

Forty-three of 95 drone strikes reviewed for that period hit groups other than al Qaida, including the Haqqani network, several Pakistani Taliban factions and the unidentified individuals described only as "foreign fighters" and "other militants."...

At other times, the CIA killed people who only were suspected, associated with, or who probably belonged to militant groups.

This scope of targeting complicates the Obama administration's claim that only those al Qaeda members who are an imminent threat to the U.S. homeland can be killed.

In reality, starting in the summer of 2008, when President Bush first authorized signature strikes in Pakistan, the vast majority of drone-strike victims were from groups focused on establishing some form of Sharia law, attacking Pakistani security forces, and destabilizing Afghanistan by supporting the Taliban and attacking U.S. servicemembers.

The United States essentially replicated the Vietnam War strategy of bombing the Vietcong's safe haven in Cambodia. In addition, the CIA was engaging in "side payment strikes" against the Pakistani Taliban to eliminate threats on Islamabad's behalf. This was not a secret to anyone following the CIA's drone program. more

Revealed: 64 Drone Bases on American Soil

13 June 2012

We like to think of the drone war as something far away, fought in the deserts of Yemen or the mountains of Afghanistan. But we now know it's closer than we thought. There are 64 drone bases on American soil. That includes 12 locations housing Predator and Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles, which can be armed.

Public Intelligence, a non-profit that advocates for free access to information, released a map of military UAV activities in the United States on Tuesday. Assembled from military sources — especially this little-known June 2011 Air Force presentation (.pdf) – it is arguably the most comprehensive map so far of the spread of the Pentagon's unmanned fleet.

What exact missions are performed at those locations, however, is not clear. Some bases might be used as remote cockpits to control the robotic aircraft overseas, some for drone pilot training. Others may also serve as imagery analysis depots.

The RQ-7 Shadow 200 is the smallest of the Shadow family of unmanned aircraft systems developed by AAI. It is in operational service with the US Army and US Marine Corps.

Shadow 200 is used to locate, recognise and identify targets up to 125km from a brigade tactical operations centre. The system recognises tactical vehicles by day and night from an altitude of 8,000ft and at a slant range of 3.5km. Imagery and telemetry data is transmitted in near-real time from the Shadow ground control station to joint stars common ground station, all-sources analysis system and to the army field artillery targeting and direction system.

Shadow is in operational service in Afghanistan and in Iraq. By July 2012, the Shadow system had amassed 750,000 flight hours.

The Shadow family of unmanned aircraft systems is produced at AAI's facilities in Hunt Valley, Maryland. AAI Corporation is an operating business entity of Textron Systems.

The AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven is a small hand-launched remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicle (or SUAV) developed for the U.S. military, but now adopted by the military forces of many other countries.

(image courtesy aerovironment)

The medium-size Shadow is used in 22 bases, the smaller Raven in 20 and the miniature Wasp in 11.
California and Texas lead the pack, with 10 and six sites, respectively, and there are also 22 planned locations for future bases. 

"It is very likely that there are more domestic drone activities not included in the map, but it is designed to provide an approximate overview of the widespread nature of Department of Defense activities throughout the US," Michael Haynes from Public Intelligence tells Danger Room.

The possibility of military drones (as well as those controlled by police departments and universities) flying over American skies have raised concerns among privacy activists. As the American Civil Liberties Union explained in its December 2011 report, the machines potentially could be used to spy on American citizens.

The drones' presence in our skies "threatens to eradicate existing practical limits on aerial monitoring and allow for pervasive surveillance, police fishing expeditions, and abusive use of these tools in a way that could eventually eliminate the privacy Americans have traditionally enjoyed in their movements and activities."

As Danger Room reported last month, even military drones, which are prohibited from spying on Americans, may "accidentally" conduct such surveillance — and keep the data for months afterwards while they figure out what to do with it. The material they collect without a warrant, as scholar Steven Aftergood revealed, could then be used to open an investigation.

The Posse Comitatus Act prohibits the U.S. military from operating on American soil, and there's no evidence that drones have violated it so far.

This new map comes almost two months after the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) revealed another one, this time of public agencies – including police departments and universities – that have a permit issued by the Federal Aviation Agency to use UAVs in American airspace.

"It goes to show you how entrenched drones already are," said Trevor Timm, an EFF activist, when asked about the new map.

"It's clear that the drone industry is expanding rapidly and this map is just another example of that. And if people are worried about military technology coming back and being sold in the US, this is just another example how drone technology is probably going to proliferate in the US very soon."

Domestic proliferation isn't the same as domestic spying, however. Most — if not all — of these military bases would make poor surveillance centers. Many of the locations are isolated, far from civilian populations. Almost half of the bases on the map work only with the relatively small Raven and Shadow drones; their limited range and endurance make them imperfect spying tools, at best. It's safe to assume that most of the bases are just used for military training.

Privacy concerns aside, the biggest issue might be safety, as we were been reminded on Monday when a giant Navy drone crashed in Maryland.

Navy personnel in Southwest Asia tend to a Global Hawk drone, 2009. Photo: U.S. Air Force






The Tern concept. Art: Darpa

Pentagon's Mad Scientists Want to Launch Killer Drones from Small Warships

Members from the Panamanian Public Security Force observe as U.S. Navy Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class Jason Gates launches an Aqua Puma Unmanned Aerial Vehicle from the Amphibious Dock Landing Ship USS Oak Hill, October 2011. (Photo: U.S. Navy)

U.S. Military Wants Drones in South America, But Why?

An MQ-8B Fire Scout drone copter lands on the U.S.S. McInerney
after helping a counternarcotics mission in 2010. (Photo: U.S. Southern Command)

Navy Grounds Drone Copters, Then Spends Quarter-Billion to Buy More

[thorfourwinds]

Anonymous - Terrorists in the White House - YouTube

We are Anonymous
We are Legion
United as One
Divided by Zero
We do not Forgive
We do not Forget
We are Uniting Humanity
Expect Us

[deuem]

t $36.8 million a pop for a single Reaper

They play with this amount of money like it grows on trees. I have to work my entire life time and never even come close. Can we use this money for better things? Who get 36.8 million for these. It probaly does not even cost 50,000 to build. The rest is for what? Insurance

[thorfourwinds]

Confirmed: The FBI is Spying on the US with Drones

Get skeeved out by the NSA taking a peek at all your data?

Well it gets even better: the FBI has confirmed it's spying on the United States with drones.

FBI Director Robert Mueller told the Senate Judiciary Committee the following, in regards to the Bureau's drone use:

"Our footprint is very small. We have very few."

He went on to confirm that the FBI's drones are definitely used for the surveillance of US soil, though

"in a very, very minimal way, and seldom."

If that makes you feel better.

The FAA recently released a list of organizations authorized to fly drones over US soil, and the FBI is included. Likewise, border patrol drones are a thing. And in general, this shouldn't come as a huge surprise that the FBI might want to look at some stuff in our borders with an unmanned eye in the sky. But it's not just suspicion anymore; the FBI is talking about it.

Look up and say cheese. Wired

[thorfourwinds]

FBI Director Robert Mueller (Reuters / Yuri Gripas)

FBI director admits domestic use of drones for surveillance — RT USA

The FBI uses drones for domestic surveillance purposes, the head of the agency told Congress early Wednesday.

Robert Mueller, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, confirmed to lawmakers that the FBI owns several unmanned aerial vehicles, but has not adopted any strict policies or guidelines yet to govern the use of the controversial aircraft. ?

"Does the FBI use drones for surveillance on US soil?"

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) asked Mr Mueller during an oversight hearing on Capitol Hill Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee.


"Yes,"

Mueller responded bluntly, adding that the FBI's operation of drones is "very seldom." ??

Asked by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) to elaborate, Mueller added,

"It's very seldom used and generally used in a particular incident where you need the capability."


Earlier in the morning, however, Mueller said that the agency was only now working to establish set rules for the drone program.

Mueller began answering questions just after 10 a.m. EDT. He briefly touched on the recently exposed NSA surveillance program that has marred the reputation of the United States intelligence community. Mueller said 22 agents have access to a vast surveillance database, including 20 analysts and two overseers. ??

When Sen. Al Franken (D-Minnesota) asked Mueller later in the morning if he'd consider being more open about the FBI's surveillance methods, the director expressed reluctance to be more transparent. Mueller said the FBI has and will continue to weigh the possibility of publishing more information about its spy habits, but warned that doing so would be to the advantage of America's enemies. ??

"There is a price to be paid for that transparency,"

Mueller said.

"I certainly think it would be educating our adversaries as to what our capabilities are."

[thorfourwinds]

A Parrot eBee, an ultra light civil professional drone used to shoot video and photos is displayed during the 50th Paris Air Show at Le Bourget airport, north of Paris, Tuesday, June 18, 2013. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)


Unmanned aircraft struggle to shed 'drone' image

LE BOURGET, France (AP) — Unmanned aircraft have helped rescue stranded hikers, worked to contain wildfires and gathered data at nuclear accidents. One helped a Russian tanker find its way through Arctic ice to bring oil to a stranded Alaskan community.

These remote-controlled planes have many more potential peacetime uses. But unmanned aircraft have an image problem: They're also known as drones.

That word conjures up pilotless planes
dropping bombs or spying in war zones.

But industry officials and regulators say the day is coming when unmanned aircraft will be regularly used for more mundane purposes — and people will be at ease with them appearing in their skies.

For people to change their opinion, they "have to see the benefits," said John Langford, chief executive of Aurora Flight Sciences Corp.

"They haven't seen any benefits on the civil side,
but they've seen kind of the scary part."

more

[thorfourwinds]

In this picture taken on Monday, May 28, 2013, drones are seen in a hangar at Israel Aerospace Industries, near Tel Aviv.
(AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

Israel leads global drone exports as demand grows

BEN-GURION AIRPORT, Israel (AP) — In an expansive hangar in central Israel, workers toil on one of the world's most contentious aircraft, fitting dozens of drones with advanced sensors, cameras and lasers before they are shipped to militaries worldwide to perform highly sensitive tasks.

Whereas drones are often criticized elsewhere for being morally and legally objectionable, in Israel they are a source of pride. Israel — a pioneer of drone technology — has emerged as the world's leading exporter of the aircraft and its accessories, putting it in a strong position as the industry continues to grow worldwide.

A report produced by U.S. consulting firm Frost & Sullivan determined earlier this year that Israel is now the largest exporter of unmanned aerial systems, surmounting aerospace giants in the U.S. The report said that from 2005 to 2012, Israel exported some $4.6 billion worth of systems, including aircraft, payloads, operating systems and command and control caravans. U.S. overseas sales for the same time period were between $2 and $3 billion, the report said.

Israel also has managed to surpass its competitors in the U.S., like General Atomics and Northrop Grumman, partly because regulations on exporting defense products are more stringent there, analysts say.

The American manufacturers have for years been able to rely on large contracts from the U.S. government. But recent cuts in the defense budget are pushing American companies to lobby to loosen export regulations, potentially threatening Israel's dominance.

The market is also set to grow in civilian drones that can be used in a variety of industries, from monitoring crops to acting as lookouts for police SWAT teams, especially in the U.S.

Industry experts predict the takeoff of a multibillion-dollar market for civilian drones
as soon as the Federal Aviation Administration completes safety regulations.

Congress has directed the FAA to provide drones with widespread access to domestic airspace by 2015, but the agency is behind in developing regulations and isn't expected to meet that deadline. Still, Israeli companies hope to nab a chunk of that new market.

As long as military demand rises, Israel can expect to remain a top player.

"As long as they keep providing support and keep providing efficient and capable platforms, they're going to maintain their advantage," said Blades, the analyst.
more

BREAKING NEWS:

Pegasus Research Consortium
announces environmentally-friendly drone
aimed at the burgeoning Civilian Market

[thorfourwinds]

German Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere, right, and Family Minister Kristina Schröder attend a cabinet meeting in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, June 5, 2013.
De Maiziere presents his report on his ministry's failed drone program to lawmakers in Berlin.
He is under pressure for how he handled the drone program which cost the government 600 million euros.
(AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

German defense chief under fire over drone program

BERLIN (AP) — Germany's defense minister on Wednesday admitted mistakes were made in the handling of a program to develop unmanned surveillance drones and announced tougher oversight procedures for all armament projects.

Opposition parties say Thomas de Maiziere wasted public funds by canceling the botched 600 million euro ($800 million) program too late, but he rejected calls for his resignation.


For Chancellor Angela Merkel, the controversy engulfing one of her staunchest allies and most popular Cabinet ministers is a major embarrassment only three months before national elections.

De Maiziere said he was "quite angry" about his deputies' failure to inform him early on that

the drones couldn't be approved for use in
Europe's airspace without significant extra costs.

He said he wouldn't rule out "consequences for some personnel" once the matter is fully investigated.

RQ-4A Global Hawk (Tier II+ HAE UAV)

Germany purchased one prototype of the U.S.-made Global Hawk surveillance drone years ago to modify to its specifications, but last month scrapped plans to buy four more from Northrop Grumman at an additional cost of 1.4 billion euros ($1.83 billion).

The defense ministry says securing approval for their use in European airspace would have cost another 600 million euros ($784 million),
a claim Northrop Grumman and European partner EADS rejects. more


Which, of course brings up a couple of points:

1. What 'legal' body makes the laws that govern Europe's airspace?

2. Apparently, the Global Hawk did not meet certain specifications inherent in said laws.

OK, maybe another point or two.

3. Are there U.S. laws similar to Europe's and who makes them?

4. What marketing moron was not familiar to the requirements of said airspace before selling his client (Germany) something he/she/it should have known was not cost-effective?

Or, what a cunning move for the alphabet boys.   

tfw
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[thorfourwinds]

German Defence Minister Thomas De Maiziere gives a news conference at the defence ministry in Berlin
June 5, 2013. REUTERS/Tobias Schwarz

"Teflon Angie" averts pre-election blow from drone affair

By Noah Barkin
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's defense minister defended his handling of a costly drone deal and rejected calls to resign on Wednesday, averting an embarrassing setback for his boss Chancellor Angela Merkel months before an election.

Thomas de Maiziere, Merkel's former chief of staff and perhaps her closest cabinet ally, has come under intense pressure since announcing last month that Germany was cancelling plans to purchase four Euro Hawk reconnaissance drones. more