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“‘Beast of Kandahar’ was probably flying against targets inside Iran”
Published: 10 December, 2009, 04:05
Edited: 12 December, 2009, 18:48
Senior Airman Glenn Gerald prepares to put an RQ-11 Raven Small UAS (UAV) in flight during a mission at Kirkuk Air Base, Iraq (U.S. Air Force photo / Senior Master Sgt. Don Senger; photo from aviationspectator.com)
(20.8Mb) embed videoTAGS: Military, SciTech, Middle East, Politics, Vehicles
Afghanistan is pretty well covered by US surveillance capabilities – aircraft, ground systems, other mechanisms, but Kandahar is not very far away from the Iranian border, says investigative journalist Wayne Madsen.
The US Air Force confirmed for the first time on Tuesday that it’s using in Afghanistan a stealth unmanned aircraft known as the “Beast of Kandahar.”
“It is the latest technology in unmanned aerial vehicles, and unlike other vehicles it can move in and out of the targeted country at very high speeds – and it obviously raised a few eyebrows when it was spotted in Kandahar,” Madsen said.
10.12.2009, 02:56
1 comment
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10.12.2009, 09:25
2 comments
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Interesting if this is being used to gain extra intel from inside Iran. Although the 'probing' of Iranian defences (seeking radar blind spots, measuring Iranian responce times, listening to subsequent chatter, etc) has been going on for a while, this is the first time I have heard of a 'fast jet' type drone being used. I suppose this is a logical step as it can get in and out of a hot zone at similar speeds to a ground attack plane or a cruise missile - and would therefore give planners a better idea of what sort of responce to expect from Iran if they decided to launch an attack. If they are intended for pakistan I can't see why the US would provoke Pakistan with the use of these drones - they are already pushing the patience of some parts of the Pakistani military with their more easily tracked prop driven drones. If the US intends to up their game inside Pakistan with unmaned attack craft and mercenaries then we are all in for trouble - just because 'uniformed' US soldiers are not inside Pakistan and 'manned' planes invading their airspace it does not mean that the US won't reap the firesorm.
The name "Beast of Kandahar" seems to be something dreamt up by the Press - this UAV is the RQ-170, with the rather less dramatic name, "Sentinel". The RQ indicates that it is unarmed so the "Beast" label doesn't really fit - it would probably be more appropriate for the Predator or Reaper UAVs, which can be armed. As for Iran : who knows? As this UAV is stealthy, it might well have been used over Iran to figure out where the next secret nuclear weapons facilities will be found. It would certainly be the right tool for the job - stealthy and no pilot.
This is an other proof of how sincere and deserving is the 2009 Nobel Peace Price winner. What a SHAME ! (There is no way, the US president could ignore the existance of such military gadget and their utilisation over Iran or over other states. If it is the case, he is, most of all: un incompetent leader). Sorry Future American Generations. Sincerely. Jean-Claude Meslin