Variety of airborne drones could be spying on Afghanistan

Associated Press

WASHINGTON – The use of unmanned aircraft has become an increasingly common tool for U.S. intelligence-gathering operations.

Over the weekend, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld confirmed U.S. officials had lost contact with an unmanned spy craft over Afghanistan. The report came as the United States increased its monitoring of the region.

Although officials at the Defense Department and Central Intelligence Agency declined further comment, there are several types of long-range monitoring craft available:

_ GNAT-750 Lofty View: A long-endurance surveillance aircraft that has been flying since 1989. It is able to stay aloft up to 48 hours without landing or refueling and has a range of 500 miles. Capable of transmitting live televised pictures day or night, it has seen use in Bosnia, Croatia and Albania. It was used to monitor troop movements, surface-to-air missile sites and airfields. The craft is 16.4 feet long with a 35.3-foot wingspan.

_ RQ-1 Predator: An evolution of the GNAT, this craft has been used extensively in support of NATO forces in the Balkans. An all-weather craft, it carries two color video cameras and can remain airborne for more than 40 hours. It can provide information via satellites with near-real time video. It is 26 feet, 8 inches long with a wingspan of 48 feet, 5 inches.

_ Hunter UAV: An ancestor of the Predator, the Hunter system has been plagued with problems and criticized by congressional investigators. Prototypes crashed several times and had problems with computer software, data links and engines. The Pentagon stopped buying them in 1996. The Hunter is 23 feet long with a 29-foot wingspan.

_ RQ-2 Pioneer: Pioneers have logged more than 12,000 flight hours with the Army, Navy and Marine Corps. The system was first deployed on the battleship USS Iowa in 1986. It saw use in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, flying over 300 missions to aid in target selection, reconnaissance for advance troop movements and directing air strikes. The system is to be phased out once the Navy’s Tactical UAV system enters the inventory. It is 9 feet, 7 inches long with a wingspan of 17 feet, 1 inch.

_ Shadow 600: An upgraded version of the Pioneer, the Shadow 600 can fly longer – up to 14 hours. It can be fitted with 17 different kinds of sensors. The model logged more than 700 hours in the Gulf War. It is 15.4 feet long with a 22.4-foot wingspan.

_ RQ-4A Global Hawk: A high-altitude, long-range spyplane. Still in final testing, the Global Hawk can use cameras, infrared sensors and radar during flights up to 40 hours from as high as 66,000 feet. The jet also has jamming equipment and other countermeasures to avoid being shot down. The Global Hawk is designed to fly automatically from takeoff to landing. It is nearly the size of a U2, at 44 feet, 5 inches long with a wingspan of 116 feet, 2 inches.

Copyright ©2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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