March 31, 2004: Canada has lost four of its French built Sprewer UAVs in Afghanistan so far. The causes have been varied, but the combination of nasty weather (especially unpredictable winds), high altitude (thinner air makes the lightweight UAV harder to maneuver) and dust have created a very hostile environment. Each Sprewer costs two million dollars. Sprewers have also been damaged, and repaired, after of hard landings. Not all of the aircraft were total losses. Because of their light weight, they are usually repairable by the manufacturer. That means the damaged aircraft must be partially disassembled and shipped back to France. The problems the Sprewers are encountering are common with lightweight UAVs operating in a hostile environment.
The Sperwer is an eleven foot long, 575 pound aircraft that is launched via a rocket from a truck. It can stay in the air for four hours using a 65 horsepower engine originally designed for snowmobiles. The aircraft lands using a parachute and airbags. A hundred pound payload is carried, which is usually either a day/night video cam, or a FLIR (a heat sensing "video camera" that can see through the dark and clouds). Cruising speed is 180 kilometers an hour, but max range from the control vehicle is 90 kilometers (because a line-of-sight data link is used.) Despite the losses, the Canadians, like other UAV users, find the ability of the unmanned aircraft to cruise over an area for hours on end a major advantage in a combat zone.
March 30, 2004: An Indian firm (HAL) has designed, built and tested a new UAV design. Called the Nishant, the unmanned aircraft carries a hundred pound payload (FLIR, camera and laser rangefinder) and can stay in the air for four hours. The Nishant is launched via a catapult mounted on a 14 ton truck. The catapult can operate about a thousand times before it requires major maintenance (replacement of some worn components.) The Nishant lands using a parachute and airbag. Another version of the Nishant, with landing gear, is in development. This version would be able to land and take off largely under control of software. The Nishant is built from reinforced carbon/glass fiber material and propelled by a 55 horsepower engine. In concept, the Nishant is very similar to the French Sprewer UAV. The Indian air force is buying 25 Nishant's from HAL.
March 29, 2004: Israel, long a dominant force in UAV design and manufacturing, has been losing ground the last few years as American firms have taken the lead in developing micro (under ten pound) UAVs. Last week, Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) introduced two micro UAVs actually being used by Israeli combat units, and two others that are still being tested. BIRDY weighs three pounds, flies for an hour, up to five kilometers from the user and broadcasts video and still pictures back to a suitably equipped laptop. The laptop is also used to fly the UAV, with the operator simply clicking on map locations where he wants the UAV to fly to. The five pound Spy There UAV operates like BIRDY, but has a ten kilometers range and more powerful sensors. Spy There also requires two troops to operate. BIRDY can be used by one soldier. Both micro-UAVs use battery powered engines. IAI also showed two even smaller, the nine ounce Mosquito, and the 18 ounce Mosquito 1.5. Both have flown 40 minute test flights, but have not completed development yet. While BIRDY and Spy There have been used by Israeli troops (during their field testing), and are being purchased by the Israeli army, the micro UAVs still suffer from one major problem; poor performance in windy conditions. IAI says it has solved some of the wind related problems, but did not release any details. Whatever IAI did to deal with the wind problem should be interesting, because it is the main thing holding back wider use of micro-UAVs. American Special Forces have been energetically using the nine pound Pointer UAV for several years now, and combat commanders are eager to, like the Special Forces, acquire their own air force.
March 27, 2004: Guam’s Back. Six B-52H heavy bombers from the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota were stationed at Guam last month and will remain there on a rotating basis, highlighting the island’s return to importance after a decade of downsizing after the Cold War. The bombers have been moved into place to offset troop withdrawals to support activities in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition, Pacific Command is evaluating basing fighter jets and other support planes on Guam since the island is roughly 2400 kilometers from two key Pacific flashpoints, North Korea and the Taiwan Straits. In addition, the U.S. Navy has based two attack submarines at Guam with a third to be home ported there this year and is considering basing an aircraft carrier group there.
Aircraft and other forces based on Guam during the Cold War were withdrawn during the ‘90s defense cuts, but a few years ago the Air Force began building up the infrastructure on Andersen Air Force Base, including stockpiling munitions. The Air Force is considering basing a fighter wing, tankers, Global Hawk UAVs, and B-2s on Guam. Before Operation Iraqi Freedom, special air-conditioned hangers for the B-2 were positioned there and the Air Force deployed B-1 and B-52s to Guam on a temporary basis last spring to deter North Korea. B-2 crews have flown out of Guam for 30 day Pacific exercises throughout the late '90s.
Depending on bomber type, payload and flight profile, time from wheels up at Andersen to North Korea or the Taiwan Straits would be around 3-4 hours, so in theory it may be possible to surge two sorties per day per plane in a crisis. Other points within Asia Pacific can be reached "within twelve hours" according to an Air Force spokesperson. In 1972, more than 15,000 people and 150 B-52s lined all available flight line space at Andersen, with bombers flying 729 sorties over North Vietnam in 11 days during operation Linebacker II. In 1996,a pair of B-52s flew out of Andersen to launch cruise missiles at targets in Southern Iraq during Operation Southern Watch.
http://strategypage.com/fyeo/howtomakewar/default.asp?target=htairfo
TELL A LIE ENOUGH TIMES AND IT BECOMES THE TRUTH
Fabrication instantly becomes fact and the more far-fetched, the better! That was the strategy Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's propaganda director, used in his war against the Jews of Europe and it worked. The Arabs may not be very original but they certainly have figured out how to seize upon a good idea and run with it! Comparing the plight of the Jews of Germany to that of the Arab-"Palestinians" was a stroke of genius. A very BIG Lie... but brilliant nevertheless!
