Pentagon seeks money for unmanned drones

[unhappycamper]

Pentagon seeks money for unmanned drones
LOLITA C. BALDOR
AP News
Feb 05, 2008 19:08 EST

When a missile fired from a U.S. Predator killed a top al-Qaida leader last week it underscored the warfighting power of unmanned aircraft, which are being considered for even greater use in Afghanistan and would consume at least $3.4 billion in the Pentagon's 2009 proposed budget.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates will be traveling to a meeting of NATO defense ministers this week to discuss military needs in Afghanistan, which include more such eyes-in-the sky. And Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said Tuesday that the demand for intelligence-gathering aircraft there, as well as in Iraq, "has never been higher."

According to military officials and budget documents, the Pentagon's spending proposal would buy more of the larger, costlier and deadlier Air Force Predators and Reapers than in the current budget year. The hunter-killer drones are armed with missiles and can also rapidly relay photos and video to troops on the ground.

Early last week, Abu Laith al-Libi — a key al-Qaida leader — was killed when a Predator fired on a suspected terrorist safehouse in Pakistan's north Waziristan region. Predators, which are used by the Air Force and the CIA, are armed with Hellfire anti-tank missiles. Officials have not confirmed whose Predator struck al-Libi, although all signs point to the CIA.

Overall, the Defense Department is asking for $2.6 billion in its base budget for a variety of drones for the Air Force, Army and Marines. Also, the Navy is looking for at least $800 million for continuing research and development, particularly regarding drones that can take off and land vertically from its ships.


Rest of article at: http://www.rawstory.com/news/mochila/Pentagon_seeks_money_for_unmanned_d_02052008.html



uhc comment: The establishment has been on a big time push for UAVs. Backback drones, shipborne drones, hand launched drones, killer drones - it's all in this forum.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=259&topic_id=9135

[lvx35]

1. Something profound is being missed here.

In the last weeks in Iraq, mentally retarded women were used as weapons. We are deploying flying death robots, and we have not won the conflict against the people using exploding mentally retarded people in 5 years.