BAGHDAD — The U.S. military has deployed a new tactical unmanned aerial vehicle for operations in Iraq which uses a bungee launch and often struggles to stay airborne under the windy conditions.

The U.S. Air Force has been using the Desert Hawk mini-UAV for reconnaissance in the insurgency war. The Desert Hawk helps security teams protect installations and personnel.

The mini-UAV, with a four-foot wingspan and endurance of one hour, has been deployed to protect air teams at the Talil air base, Middle East Newsline reported.

"It is very simple," Staff Sgt. James Ellis of the squadron. "Actually, all we do is program grid coordinates into a laptop and launch."

Ellis said the most difficult part of the mission was to launch the Styrofoam UAV and landing it in a safe place. Talil is whipped by strong winds and Desert Hawk employs a bungee launch.

The Desert Hawk weighs seven pounds [3.2 kilograms] and conducts autonomous operations for the 407th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron.

"We are only limited by the weather and battery life," Ellis said. "The environment here makes it tough to fly, especially the wind. Getting the plane airborne, keeping it on track and (landing) in a safe place when it's done are probably the hardest of the mission."

The Desert Hawk has been operated at Talil since October 2004. The UAV, controlled by a laptop computer, can be programmed or operated manually. The platform employs color cameras and thermal imagers for day and night operations.

So far, Desert Hawk has been used to provide security for air force personnel at Talil and outside the facility. They included reconnaissance while U.S. soldiers collected weapons caches, convoy routes and in meetings with Iraqis. Talil has also been protected by remote sensors and patrols.

"Most of our UAV flights are supporting the squadron's random anti-terrorism program," Ellis said. "We'll vary our flight times and days of the week, looking for signs of possible terrorist activity. We can be ready to fly almost anytime and see any part of the base and its surroundings quickly."