US UAVs over Iran

The Washington Post has a Page One story on the US utilizing UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) to spy on Iran's nuclear program from Iraq.  It appears that the Iranians thought they were UFOs until recently and had even engaged the Russians to figure out what they were. Isn't it great to see the Russians are helping out the Iranians with more than just their nuclear program?  The US may be using the UAVs over Iran to determine which sites may have nuclear material, what anti-aircraft defenses Iran has, and general surveillance. 

A good friend of mine is a Weapons System Operator in an F-15E.  It is a very impressive multi-purpose fighter aircraft, and I am glad it is not his mission to fly over Iran.  However, I am glad that the US has invested in UAVs over the years. ($3 billion in the early 1990s has grown to $12 billion in the 2004-2009 budget).  Our tax dollars have helped put the following UAVs into all branches of the US military and Homeland Security:

• Predator with Hellfire Missiles (USAF) - Top speed 135 mph
• Shadow (US Army) - Top Speed 123 mph
• Global Hawk (USAF & USN under BAMS program) - Top Speed 400 mph
• Aerostar - (Israeli UAV with USN) Top Speed 120 mph
• Hermes - (US Dept. Homeland Security) Top Speed 100 mph
• Hunter - (US Army) Top Speed 120 mph
• Pioneer - (USN & US Marine Corps) Top Speed 115 mph
• Dragon Eye - (US Marine Corps) Top Speed 35 mph

There are many advantages to UAVs.  They can be overhead when satellites cannot, return air particles that may find nuclear activity, and loiter over target areas all without risk to American life.  This removes the potential for a Gary Powers U2 incident like we had with the Soviets in 1960. 

This is a good example of military hardware increasing US diplomatic options by giving us better information with no American lives at risk.

UPDATE: Of course, after writing the post I stumble upon this great blog out of Australia on UAVs.  Enjoy!

UDPATE 2: I posted on this story before checking Drudge.  I know, I know it is his main headline.

Comments

[Glenn Carlyle Smith]

As other national reporting has noted, some Predator aircraft in Iraq are being flown round the clock by rotating teams based in the U.S. So not all of those fighting daily in Iraq are even in Iraq.

Current unmanned vehicles are still manned – they’re just manned remotely. Remotely manned vehicles keep the pilot out of risk, allow a fresh pilot to swap in at any time, don’t have to have extra weight and gear to carry and protect an onboard pilot, and will some day be able to make high G maneuvers not possible in manned aircraft as the maneuvers would kill an onboard pilot.

Not only does this new technology give us new capabilities, the simpler craft it makes possible will eventually make UAVs not only safer, but also cheaper than on-board pilots for many missions. The technology is spreading. Remotely piloted supply trucks, ideally with some level of navigational autonomy, are already being worked on. The technology is applicable to armor, various ground vehicles, naval use, and some day, in systems useful for urban warfare – basically, more capable versions of the robots already in use in clearing caves in Afghanistan.

When our forces aren’t at risk, they can afford to be more careful in their fire control. These technologies will eventually make our military not just safer, cheaper, more capable, and more lethal, but also safer for non-combatants.

This is the future.

[v]

Ho Iran Would Fight Back In Asymmetrical War?

Iran has made some unknown preparations for possible US lead intervention. At the first place, it tried to purchase as much as possible advance weaponry to its arsenal as well to maintain this what it has at the moment. But, it is developing some simple but maybe effective tricks.

Some time ago, while Saddam Hussein was in power, nearing the end of his Empire, Iraq was in process of renewing its antiaircraft defence. The Chinese experts just laid down the new fibre optics connecting radar positions. Then the U2 spy plane was missed by missile launched in ballistic trajectory. What the Saddam did was calculation of aircraft path and launching a single missile to the point of contact. The plane was missed by one kilometre. It felt shock of the explosion. It could be less then kilometre.

Iran known this, and its radar stations are also connected by fibre optical cables. But it made modifications on its multiple barrel launchers of ground type so they are controlled as antiaircraft units with instant probability of taking a calculated shouting position. To be able to shout the aircraft with higher probability or at least to disturb it in its mission, the electronic programmable initiator is built in the rocket. The system calculates shouting point and automatically programming a timer which initiates explosion of the rocket’s head some precise time after launching. With different time setting and small differences in angle for every rocket separately, using mathematical model the Iranians succeed to create virtual ball shaped area covered with missiles fire. It is about one kilometre in diameter. These rockets are very cheap and the system itself does not have much difference from the simple ground artillery rocket. The same principle is going to be tried with longer range artillery rockets. This system is resistant to countermeasures and cannot be detected. It can use the information from any source like the radar station, sound tracking system, IC tracking system or simple from-the-ground observation.

Another system is development of sound tracking system, a net of connected microphones which use algorithm to recognize aircraft from noise and to track its path. This system comes in pair with IC tracking system. The visual observation stations are used the information from this system to confirm the target if possible.

Yet another system is passive electronic warfare. The Iranians will use simple anti-ice meteorological rockets which are very cheap, but they will be filled with magnetized-pulverised iron. Also the pulverised aluminium-magnesium will be launched. Another will be filled with aluminium strips. When the attack with cruise missiles really starts, hundreds of these inexpensive rockets will be launched in area of fifty kilometres from the strategic targets making this area impregnable to radio frequencies. This will create shield and make GPS signal inconsistent. The terrain recognition systems in cruise missiles will get different picture of the ground since aluminium folia will reflect radar signals coming from these missiles. So matching the ground and the digital maps will be impossible. The clouds of pulverised iron will be illuminated with radars in order to ionize them. The mixture of pulverise iron-aluminium-magnesium will be highly flammable and when aircraft enters this area it will initiate combustion.

On the ground another network is constructed. It is made of Chinese children toys lasers. A thousands of them are directed to the sky in all angles, set out to illuminate with using different algorithms in order to mix them with real weaponry. The same system is using hundreds of microwave oven emitters. They will simulate antiaircraft gun radars. This is not a new tactics and it was used in Yugoslavia by Serb forces. But what is new is that some guns will really use these frequencies and it will be impossible to find them in this noise.

Simple balloons will be used to carry a long strips of radio-reflecting folia. They will also carry these children lasers and bigger versions will carry microwave emitters. Some of them will carry explosive heads with sound and IC fuses. Some of them will be able for radio controlled detonation.

So Iran will use this garbage tactic in order to confuse attacker. It will for sure use high advanced weaponry but only when is sure that it can shout target and when see what will be attacker tactic. If you have ever been on fireworks show you could see how stressing that can be and how big balls can be made of these rockets. Imagine hundreds of them exploding at different altitudes, emitting different lights, or even pulverised materials as mentioned. This will be shock for aircraft equipment and it will force the change of tactic.

[AnferTuto]

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