The U.S. military has turned unmanned aerial strike
operations in Iraq into a routine.
U.S. military officials said the Air Force has honed the use of unmanned
aerial vehicles to target and kill snipers and insurgency bombers in
efforts to ambush U.S. military convoys and combat patrols.
"The use of UAVs has been critical in monitoring convoy routes for IEDs
[improvised explosive devices] and their operators," an official said. "But
with strike UAVs we will be able to hit them immediately. It's quite a
deterrent."
Most of the UAV strike operations have involved the Predator, Middle East Newsline reported. The
Predator was first deployed as a strike platform in the war in Afghanistan
in 2001, but by 2004 became a key element in the U.S.-led counter-insurgency
campaign in Iraq.
"We used a lot of the Hellfire [anti-tank] missile capability off of our
Predator UAVs to take out individual small targets like snipers and the like
that
were found by the ground forces," Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper
said. "It's not a thing where I get a daily report on the weird episode of
firing Hellfire off a Predator, no. It's routine."
[On Monday, Operation Steel Curtain moved into its second phase along
the Iraqi-Syrian border. Officials said U.S. and Iraqi troops entered
Ubaydi,
about 20 kilometers from the Syrian border, as part of an effort to halt the
influx of Sunni insurgents from Syria.]
Over the last year, the Predator -- manufactured by General Atomics and
meant to be the leading UAV in the U.S. military-- has been enhanced for
counter-insurgency
strike operations. The UAV has been equipped with laser target designators
to guide bombs to their targets.
The UAV operations have also included the use of the Israel-origin
Hunter for counter-insurgency strikes. Officials said converted Hunters have
been used to detect and strike Sunni insurgents in central and northern Iraq
over the last year.
The U.S. Air Force has also improved its accuracy in aerial strafing
missions in Iraq. Officials said the air force has been using a 20 mm round
with increased muzzle velocity and a 25 percent increase in range.
Still, the air force effort has focused on the development of an armed
Predator. The service has decided to equip a Predator variant -- termed the
MQ-9 Hunter-Killer aircraft -- with a range of munitions and missiles for
combat operations.
The Defense Department has awarded General Atomics-Aeronautical Systems
a $68.2 million contract for the system development and demonstration of the
MQ-9. Under the project, General Atomics has been retrofitting four standard
Predators to MQ-9 configuration, which included enhancement of the
communications systems of the UAVs.
"The effort will enhance the aircraft's weapons carrying and targeting
capability," a Pentagon statement said.
In another contract, Raytheon Systems has been awarded a $25.9 million
project to outfit Predators with multi-spectral targeting systems. The MTS,
with 22 turret units, is a forward-looking infrared system for that provides
real-time imagery at all times. The contract was expected to be completed by
June 2007.
