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Unmanned Aerial Drones Coming Soon Above U.S.

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the the-eye-in-the-sky dept.

cnet-declan writes "Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been flying over Iraq and Afghanistan, but now the Bush administration wants to use them for domestic surveillance. A top Homeland Security official told Congress today, according to this CNET News.com article, that: "We need additional technology to supplement manned aircraft surveillance and current ground assets to ensure more effective monitoring of United States territory." One county in North Carolina is already using UAVs to monitor public gatherings. But what happens when lots of relatively dumb drones have to share airspace with aircraft carrying passengers? A pilot's association is worried."

6 of 841 comments (clear)

  1. Israel does this already... by mongoose(!no) · · Score: 5, Informative

    At major events in Israel, they already use unmanned blimps to monitor it from a distance. If they can keep it out of commericial airspace, it shouldn't be a problem.

  2. Re:Well you know that old saying by MyNymWasTaken · · Score: 5, Informative

    Place a frog in a pan of cold water. He doesn't hop out.
    Place a frog in a pan of boiling hot water. He immeadiately hops out.
    Place a frog in a pan of cold water, and slowly raise the temperature to boiling. He remains in the pan until being boiled to death.

    Place a person in a peaceful, law-abiding (gov. & civilian) society. He doesn't speak out.
    Place a person in a totalitarian nightmare. He fights back.
    Place a person in a law-abiding society and slowly remove his civil rights bit by bit. He doesn't fight back because "it doesn't affect me" until he is living in a totalitarian nightmare with no rights and no one to back him up.

  3. Re:Well you know that old saying by Txiasaeia · · Score: 5, Informative

    This is an urban myth, but I get your point.

    --
    Condemnant quod non intellegunt.
  4. Re:Goddamn Homeland Security Slush Fund... by Voltageaav · · Score: 5, Informative

    Not all UAV's are all that expensive really. The Raven UAV used by the US military costs about $35,000. Less than the average squad car and probably much more useful. This is probably the closest thing to what they are talking about using in current use by the US government. It's been used with great success in the field http://www.1id.army.mil/1ID/News/September/Article _06/Article_06.htm . Also, as they are used more widely and production increases, costs to produce them will drop.

    --
    Someone save me from this sanity.
  5. Re:America's new twist on an old sport by 42Penguins · · Score: 5, Informative

    I'd watch myself if I were you.. these people don't exactly have a sense of humor.
    In fact, saying it publically in my town (via letter to the editor) will get you arrested:
    http://www.wlio.com/localNews.aspx?NewsID=3246

  6. Re:Closing down of airspace by zamboni1138 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Classes of US Civil Airspace:

    A: 18,000+ feet, IFR flight plan required
    B: Major airport (LAX, SEA, ORD, etc.), 10,000 MSL and below
    C: Medium airport, usually only to 4,000 AGL
    D: Small airport with tower, usually only to 2,500 AGL
    E: Everywhere else above 1,200 AGL
    G: Everywhere else below 1,200 AGL

    You are thinking of Class E and G airspace.

    Just remember in Class G to stay *at least* 500 feet from my barn.

    MSL = Mean Sea Level
    AGL = Above Ground Level