New drones could save troops' lives: Senator
Stewart Bell National Post Wednesday, August 29, 2007
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Canadian troops in Afghanistan urgently need new spy planes, in part so they can spot where the Taliban is planting roadside bombs, says the chairman of the Standing Committee on National Security and Defence.
Senator Colin Kenny said the government should skip the normal tendering process for military contracts and buy state-of-the-art unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, for the Canadian Forces in Kandahar.
"I would be very happy if they said, 'Look, we have to make a major purchase of these at some point but we're going to sole-source six or eight, whatever the appropriate number is, to deal with Afghanistan, and we need them now,' " he said.
UAVs are small, remote-control planes with cameras mounted on them -- flying robots that soar above conflict zones, providing a bird's-eye view that allows troops to watch the movements of enemy forces.
In Afghanistan, Canada uses French-made CU-161 Sperwer UAVs. While the Sperwers have proven effective, they do not work in the intense heat of the Kandahar summer and cannot fly for more than a few hours at a time.
During a nighttime firefight with the Taliban in July, for example, the Sperwer was not able to stay airborne for the entire battle. The ground troops were left without an eye in the sky for up to two hours at a time while UAVs were brought down and relaunched.
The crews that operate the UAV program are said to be growing frustrated with the Sperwers, which have been flying only during cooler nighttime temperatures this summer. Some soldiers believe Canadian lives could have been saved if they had more up-to-date UAVs.
The Canadian Forces would not comment on any shortcomings of the Sperwer, saying that doing so would only help the Taliban.
"It's not good to talk about those things," said Lieutenant Paul Finnemore, public affairs officer for the Chief of the Air Staff.
He said the military had no plan to replace the Sperwer until at least 2009, when Canada's Afghan mission is scheduled to end.
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Stewart Bell National Post Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Article Link
Canadian troops in Afghanistan urgently need new spy planes, in part so they can spot where the Taliban is planting roadside bombs, says the chairman of the Standing Committee on National Security and Defence.
Senator Colin Kenny said the government should skip the normal tendering process for military contracts and buy state-of-the-art unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, for the Canadian Forces in Kandahar.
"I would be very happy if they said, 'Look, we have to make a major purchase of these at some point but we're going to sole-source six or eight, whatever the appropriate number is, to deal with Afghanistan, and we need them now,' " he said.
UAVs are small, remote-control planes with cameras mounted on them -- flying robots that soar above conflict zones, providing a bird's-eye view that allows troops to watch the movements of enemy forces.
In Afghanistan, Canada uses French-made CU-161 Sperwer UAVs. While the Sperwers have proven effective, they do not work in the intense heat of the Kandahar summer and cannot fly for more than a few hours at a time.
During a nighttime firefight with the Taliban in July, for example, the Sperwer was not able to stay airborne for the entire battle. The ground troops were left without an eye in the sky for up to two hours at a time while UAVs were brought down and relaunched.
The crews that operate the UAV program are said to be growing frustrated with the Sperwers, which have been flying only during cooler nighttime temperatures this summer. Some soldiers believe Canadian lives could have been saved if they had more up-to-date UAVs.
The Canadian Forces would not comment on any shortcomings of the Sperwer, saying that doing so would only help the Taliban.
"It's not good to talk about those things," said Lieutenant Paul Finnemore, public affairs officer for the Chief of the Air Staff.
He said the military had no plan to replace the Sperwer until at least 2009, when Canada's Afghan mission is scheduled to end.
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