On my recent deployment to Iraq, I worked with unmanned aerial vehicles and got a real appreciation for what they can and can’t do. They are most assuredly here to stay and although I agree with the idea of an “ISR surge” I think putting too much reliance on unmanned assets can strangle bandwidth and there are many issues to be dealt with not the least preventing midair’s collisions with human occupied air vehicles (airplanes and helos). I have wanted to write a post about the threats UAV’s pose in an enemies or terrorists hands but have been hesitant so as someone won’t say I’m putting ideas in bad guys heads. Now, a story has appeared about a fairly sizeable UAV being put together on Long Island New York, one of the many articles, photo and video linked here. The claim is the thing could carry a 600 pound payload.
The good news is (apparently) the guy, an Egyptian man here on a Sudanes passport (hmmm?) was just trying to sell this thing to the government, From the article:
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As NYPD Lieutenant William McGroarty said during the investigation they had other questions. "What if this individual could not sell to the military?” McGroarty asked. “Would he then turn and sell it to the highest bidder?"
This is a real threat and the reality is that between the miniaturization and power increase of engines, resulting increased payload and range, as well as GPS navigation coupled with cell phone technology. Finally, weaponizing them with either an with an explosive or chemical aerosol, this is a huge issue and despite the potential impact to hobbyists flying remote control airplanes, it’s got to be a major concern for law enforcement agencies. I’ve been in hobby stores where you can learn to fly a small remote control helicopter using a CD in a computer, hooked up to your actual control box.