Send in the drones
Scape @ Wed Jul 05, 2006 6:38 pm
$1:
Considering the abysmal level of military funding we grew accustomed to under the Liberals, many Canadians are no doubt under the impression that the Conservatives broke the bank with last week's roll-out of $17-billion in new defence spending. But the reality is that after years of neglect, even more investment will be needed. And an excellent place to start would be with the 18 unmanned aerial drones being proposed by the air force.
Given the treacherous conditions faced by our troops in Afghanistan -- as well as other, similarly dangerous battlegrounds where Canadians troops may be sent -- reliable surveillance is needed to detect insurgents before they have a chance to detect us. That's where the drones come in, since they're able to fly into dangerous areas unmanned and relay information back to commanders on the ground -- without putting any personnel at risk.
The problem is that our current drones simply aren't up to the job. Undersized, they are able to fly only four hours at a time, and risk tipping off the enemy because of their sound. And while their record has been better in Kandahar, they were previously involved in a series of crashes in Kabul.
Larger, more high-tech and able to fly up to 12 hours at a time, the new drones will enhance the safety of our troops in Afghanistan and better allow them to fight insurgents. In addition, they are expected to be used at home to survey Canadian territory -- a sure-fire way to improve our patchy continental security.
According to the Toronto Star, the air force is hoping the $500-million purchasing process for the new drones will begin the fall. As with many of the other forthcoming purchases, we would prefer it start even sooner. When it comes to the safety and effectiveness of our men and women in Afghanistan, we haven't a day to to waste.
Given the treacherous conditions faced by our troops in Afghanistan -- as well as other, similarly dangerous battlegrounds where Canadians troops may be sent -- reliable surveillance is needed to detect insurgents before they have a chance to detect us. That's where the drones come in, since they're able to fly into dangerous areas unmanned and relay information back to commanders on the ground -- without putting any personnel at risk.
The problem is that our current drones simply aren't up to the job. Undersized, they are able to fly only four hours at a time, and risk tipping off the enemy because of their sound. And while their record has been better in Kandahar, they were previously involved in a series of crashes in Kabul.
Larger, more high-tech and able to fly up to 12 hours at a time, the new drones will enhance the safety of our troops in Afghanistan and better allow them to fight insurgents. In addition, they are expected to be used at home to survey Canadian territory -- a sure-fire way to improve our patchy continental security.
According to the Toronto Star, the air force is hoping the $500-million purchasing process for the new drones will begin the fall. As with many of the other forthcoming purchases, we would prefer it start even sooner. When it comes to the safety and effectiveness of our men and women in Afghanistan, we haven't a day to to waste.
Our flying lawnmowers have the same effect as the Stukas did on the French, it's a great terror weapon... for now. Taliban simply clear our when they hear it but that will pass soon enough. UAV's for the CF are a no brainer and we should be working on getting it to work seamlessly to every element be it air, sea or land assets. Right down to the section commander should be able to view real time images from the UAV and it should be able to stay up for hours, be easily recoverable and cheap.
bootlegga @ Wed Jul 05, 2006 9:59 pm
UAVs make a lot of sense, especially now that the Americans have worked out arming them (the Predator UAV). Anything like this that can stay up that long would be excellent for a variety of missions, including sovereignty patrols, Arvtic patrols, as well as intel-gathering for the troops in Afghanistan.
$500 million is nothing, I say buy twice as many as we need...
Johnny_Utah @ Wed Jul 05, 2006 10:37 pm
bootlegga bootlegga:
UAVs make a lot of sense, especially now that the Americans have worked out arming them (the Predator UAV). Anything like this that can saty up that long would be excellent for a variety of missions, including sovereignty patrols, Arvtic patrols, as well as intel-gathering for the troops in Afghanistan.
$500 million is nothing, I say buy twice as many as we need...
$500 million is nothing, I say buy twice as many as we need...
The Predator UAV is a proven success, the best thing about it is targets can be taken out in Afghanistan, Iraq and Yemen while the pilot safe is in the United States. The 500 Million you suggested is money well spent..
Scape @ Thu Jul 06, 2006 12:33 am
Not a big fan of a UCAS, you know how the big boys get with toys. The real strength of a UAV is it a cheap eye in the sky that does not cost lives. Adding firepower to it is redundant when you consider we already have weapons on call that the UAV is spotting for anyway.
Consider how much one Predator UAV costs to a simple drone. For $100 you can get a RC heli.