[A-List] US imperialism: Iraq

["Michael Keaney" <michael.keaney@xxxxxx>]

US prepares for attack of killer drones
IAN BRUCE
The Herald, 7 November 2002

SWARMS of missile-armed "killer drones" like the one used to assassinate a
senior al Qaeda leader in Yemen on Sunday will be used to spearhead the
US-led assault on Iraq, according to Pentagon sources.

Remote-controlled Predator robot aircraft will fly missions against the most
heavily-defended targets to reduce the risk of losing American or British
pilots as hostages. They would also lead the hunt for Iraq's elusive mobile
Scud missile launchers.

The first waves of drones have been factored into the attack plans along
with F-117 Nighthawk and B-2 Spirit stealth bombers.

Once the air defence system is "degraded" and corridors established for
manned bombers to conduct round-the-clock raids with precision-guided bombs
and missiles, the Predators are to be switched to the key strategic role of
seeking out and destroying Iraq's mobile biological laboratories.

The CIA says it has evidence that equipment capable of growing anthrax
spores, plague and other germ warfare agents has been mounted on a fleet of
flatbed trucks driven around the country to avoid detection.

The Predator can loiter over the battlefield at 15,000 feet - above the
effective height of most anti-aircraft fire or shoulder-launched missiles -
for 24 hours, sending back video footage of the ground below. Its infrared
sensors and cameras can pick out individuals through darkness or cloud at
three miles range.

The unmanned aircraft have been quietly operating over southern Iraq as part
of the "no fly" zone for the past month as part of a dress rehearsal for
war. US air force officials admitted yesterday that they have so far fired
"three or four missiles" at Iraqi targets, including radar installations.

Each Predator carries two Hellfire, laser-guided missiles. Their 18lb
high-explosive warheads can destroy a tank five miles away.

The killer drones earned their spurs over Afghanistan last year, used in
action for the first time by the CIA's shadowy special operations division
to kill a number of al Qaeda and Taliban commanders.

Before that, the unarmed reconnaissance version of the aircraft made its
debut in combat over Bosnia in 1995, spotting Serb gun positions for
fighter-bomber strikes.

The US air force has about 50 Predators available and the CIA operates
others, but refuses to disclose how many. An updated £3m-a-time version is
rolling off production lines at two a month. However, the 80mph,
propeller-driven drone is vulnerable to icing in cold conditions and has a
low tolerance to high winds.

General Richard B Myers, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, said of
the Predator: "It's over the target zone for a considerable period of time
and can move to engage new targets, unlike cruise missiles. It is the
perfect weapon to suppress enemy defences because it can deliver hardware
with pinpoint accuracy without the risk to human pilots. Manned aircraft can
then exploit the gaps in the opposition's defence system."