Armed Forces Minister Nick Harvey meeting UK Reaper pilots
The Ministry of Defence’s ‘Top Level Messages’ briefing for January 2012 contains several items on recent UK drone operation and developments. While there are no new or dramatic revelations it’s an interesting summary of the UK’s current drone activities.
- The UK Reaper Remotely Piloted Air System (RPAS) programme has now provided over 30,000 hours of high quality, persistent armed Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) support to UK and ISAF forces in Afghanistan.
- Peter Luff MP, Minister of Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, announced in December that the MOD had placed a £40 million contract for aerospace research with BAE Systems. The four-year Future Combat Air System (FCAS) Focused Research contract aims to sustain and develop the UK’s critical technology and skills in this field. It will inform the MOD’s unmanned air system strategy over the coming decades to ensure that the best use is made of these new technologies.
- The Hermes 450 unmanned air system has provided over 50,000 hours of support to UK Forces since it entered service in 2007.
- On 6 December 2010, the Prime Minister announced that funding will be made available to enable further increases in the UK Reaper RPAS capability. RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire has been selected as the preferred location for the basing of a key element of this additional capability, the Ground Control Stations. The decision to base the Ground Control Stations at RAF Waddington was informed by the fact that the Station is the RAF’s ISTAR Hub with the required flying supervisory chain of command. Work has already commenced at RAF Waddington in preparation for the stand up of XIII Squadron, the arrival of the UK Reaper Ground Control Stations and associated equipment in 2012.
- At this stage there are no plans to base or fly UK Reaper aircraft in the UK as the aircraft are specifically required to be based in Afghanistan to support UK and Coalition Forces under Urgent Operational Requirement. However, in the future, as the Ground Control Stations will be based within the UK, RAF crews will be able to fly the UK Reaper aircraft remotely from the UK.
- The MOD intends to begin relocating 39 Squadron from Creech Air Force Base (AFB), Nevada to RAF Waddington once XIII Squadron is operational. The relocation of 39 Squadron will be phased to ensure there is no disruption to UK Reaper support to current operations. While there are a range of benefits of being collocated with the USAF at Creech AFB, the manpower requirements of 2 squadrons (39 and XIII Squadrons) will require qualified crews to be available for additional tours of duty on Reaper to reduce.
While the MoD is briefing journalists with selected information about UK drone operations, we’d really like them to answer our questions and Freedom of Information requests on the circumstances of the more than 200 UK drone strikes in Afghanistan.
The big problem of arming small drones
Aftermath of drone attack
One of the key concerns about the growing use of unmanned drones by the military is that as there is no risk to your own forces they make launching armed attacks much easier and therefore more likely. A separate but related concern is how drones are ‘expanding the battlefield’ into areas that would have previously, due to the presence of civilians, been considered off-limits.
Faith in hi-resolution cameras and conviction in the perceived ability of drones to hit targets with great accuracy is giving the illusion of control to military commanders and politicians, control that is simply not possible when firing missiles at, or dropping bombs into crowded urban areas.
The drone industry is of course seeing this all as a ‘market opportunity’ by developing smaller bombs and missiles specifically designed for use by drones in civilian areas.
Last month Raytheon announced that it had flight tested its smallest ever air-launched guided weapon aboard a small drone, while European missile manufacturer MBDA also sees a ‘bright future’ for its small missiles business, having recently bought the company that manufactures the Viper Strike missile. CEO of the American arm of MBDA, Jerry Aggee, said in a recent interview:
Defense budgets might be shrinking, but the drone business is growing. We see the same thing occurring around the world. It will take a few more years for some countries to get there, but clearly, unmanned platforms, with smaller, high-precision weapons have a significant place in the market, both today and years in the future. This is a market that is going to continue.
Shadow drone and Ground Control Station
Perhaps even more scary is the news that smaller drones which up till now have only been used for surveillance are also being weaponized. The US Marines are now trialling an armed version of the small Shadow drone using a munition developed and fielded in secrecy.
“If it works,” AOL Finance Daily says cheerily, “and proves the concept that small UAVs like the Shadow can operate as armed drones in their own right, this should result in new sales opportunities for the major defense weapons makers.”
While the drone industry dreams of a bright and profitable future, the nightmare scenario of hundreds – or even thousands – or small armed drones flying overhead is fast becoming a reality.
Yesterday (24 Jan), the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at RMIT (Melbourne University) hosted a forum on the development of drones.
Military officials and arms companies were invited to speak, while the public were invited to listen. However, rather than just sit quietly a number of activists decided to speak out.
“Here in Melbourne we don’t all think it’s okay for our universities to be hand in glove with manufacturers of drones, the remote controlled random death from above. We disrupted the meeting, which then moved into a locked room, which we stood outside, loudly asking to allowed entry.”
Simon Moyle gives a good account of the whole event on his blog and below is a video of the action.
As participants shuffled nervously in their seats and organisers grinned sheepishly, the truth is spoken aloud
We are here today
To say that drones have no place
In our civilised society.
Our technological innovation
Has outstripped our moral capability.
We kill without compunction
And from a distance.
Drone operators have greater rates of post traumatic stress disorder
Than regular soldiers
Drone bombings are the cause
Of mass civilian casualties
And much anger and bitterness around the world.
In particular Afghanistan
And the tribal areas of Pakistan
See regular drone bombings.
Some of us know innocent, ordinary Afghans
Who are terrified by your silent weapons from the sky.
This forum
Will give you stacks of information
On the latest in drone technology
But it will not give you information
On how to be more compassionate or more human…
Thanks to all for the words and action….
Click image to download document
A little over a year ago I discovered someone in the MoD had written a document called ‘An Unmanned Combat Air Systems Concept of Use’. It was mentioned in Defence Reporter, a useful bi-annual bulletin on research being carried out by the MoD’s science and technology labs. The summary said the document:
“aims to provide a broad outline of how it is envisioned that an Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) will be employed both in preparation for, and when operationally deployed from 2020 and beyond. It provides a vision of a potential UCAS, from which questions will naturally be generated, possibilities assessed and conclusions drawn. These questions, analysis and conclusions will help build the UK’s knowledge of a UCAS and therefore enhance our aptitude towards making future procurement decisions with regard to the utility of UCAS in any future force mix.”
Naturally as someone very interested in the development of British combat drones it is a document I would find extremely useful. As the bulletin is aimed at journalists and academics as well as the defence industry I duly applied to the MoD’s Knowledge and Information Services unit for a copy. After a couple of months back and forth about why I wanted the document, my request was refused.
I requested a copy of the document under the Freedom of Information Act (FoI) last summer and was again refused. I appealed this refusal (a process that is suppose to take no more than 40 days at the extreme) and now almost seven months later, have received a heavily redacted copy of the document (click image above) together with a long letter setting out all the reasons it has been so heavily redacted.
The letter acknowledges that “disclosure of information from the UCAS CONUSE document would demonstrate openness and improve public understanding on the development and employment of a potential UAS … would also increase confidence in the military’s responsible current and future use of UAS, in particular help to allay concerns that the deployment of UAS are carried out in accordance with International Law…” Release of the full document however has been refused as it would “increase the security threat to our own forces and those of our allies.” (The full letter is here.)
Apart from one or two paragraphs the document is almost entirely redacted. Information that ‘would increase our confidence about current and future use’ of drones has been removed along with almost everything else.
A couple of days ago someone commented here on the blog to the effect that the public has no right to comment on or have oversight of the development of new weapon systems as they do not know enough about it. Only the professionals and experts with inside knowledge are capable of having oversight and control it seems. Alas, of course the same was said about the banking/financial system until its recent virtual collapse…
It is imperative that there is proper, public accountability and control over the actions of our armed forces and the development of new weapon systems. We will continue to challenge the secrecy that surrounds the development and use of British drones.
More drone strikes looming
Last Thursday President Obama, flanked by an array of senior military officers, stood in front of the media at the Pentagon to announce a new US military plan. The new defence plan is aimed at shaping the US military, as Obama put it, “in light of the changing geopolitical environment and our changing fiscal circumstances”. While numerous columns have been written about the plan, it has been summed up neatly by more than one commentator as a future of ‘drones, special ops and cyber warware’.
The US has launched two major wars over the past decade, spending billions of dollars on putting thousands of boots on the ground. In these more strained financial times however a less expensive (financially at least) way of waging future wars is needed and armed unmanned drones are seen as the way forward. By cutting the number of troops and ground equipment, and using ‘remote warfare’ – launching weapons from drones thousands of miles away the US will be able to continue to maintain its military presence but at cut price. Or so the theory goes. The devil, as always, is in the detail but don’t be surprised when the US military budget is released next month to see – amidst all the headlines of military cuts – an increase in funding for drones.
Meanwhile the ‘pause’ in US drone strikes in Pakistan since mid-November continues but maybe not for much longer.
US drone strikes have been suspended since the US killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in an airstrike, causing outrage amongst the Pakistani public and a crisis in relations between the US and Pakistani governments.
However a propaganda campaign is now underway to get the drone strikes reinstated. US officials have been briefing the main US press that the pause is harmful and allowing militants to re-group and operate freely while in Pakistan the ground is being prepared for the reinstatement of US strikes with ‘sources’ telling the Pakistan media that ‘fresh terms of engagements’ are being agreed between the governments that will see a resumption of the strikes. Bizarrely a petition has also been started on change.org calling on the US (and UK!) government to restart the drone strikes but so far only 27 people have signed up.
So it seems that both in the short-term and long-term more drone strikes are coming. An unhappy New Year indeed.
The 2012 Drone Wars Briefing
Click image to download PDF
Today we are publishing the first, of what we hope will be an annual briefing.
The Drone Wars Briefing explores some of the key issues arising from the growing use of armed unmanned drones in a detailed, yet, accessible way. Examining current UK and US military drone operations, as well as looking at future developments and legal issues, the fully-referenced briefing will be of use to both those new to the issue as well as those with a long-term interest.
Each of the briefings five key sections starts with a short background summary before reviewing what has happened over the past year. In addition, the 36-page document looks at the growing autonomy of drones; Israel and drones and the push towards allowing drones to fly within UK civil airspace. The briefing concludes with a short essay arguing that at the very least there must be proper public accountability for the use of armed drones and an informed public debate on their future development and use.
As the introduction to the briefing notes, 2012 will be a significant year for the development of drones in the UK. A go-ahead for the new UK-French drone is expected early in the New Year, the British Watchkeeper drone will finally be deployed sometime in the Spring, RAF pilots will begin piloting armed Reaper drones over Afghanistan from the UK for the first time during the summer, and it is likely that drones will fly over London during the Olympics. For all these reasons and more, we believe the Drone Wars Briefing is a timely and vital publication.
- We are making the Briefing available free of charge to download (simply click image) but would very much appreciate a donation towards our work.
- To order up to 5 copies through the post (sorry, UK only) please send a cheque (payable to ‘Drone Wars UK’) for £3.00 per copy plus £1.00 postage and packing per copy to: Drone Wars UK, 20 Wilkins Road, Oxford, OX4 2HX
- To order more than 5 copies please email us.
Aerovironment Wasp III - one of drones being flown in UK civil airspace
Analysis of information received in response to a series of Freedom of Information requests to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has revealed that around fifty to sixty companies and public bodies per year are being granted “blanket permission” to fly unmanned drones within UK civil airspace. With very few exceptions each flight must remain under 400 feet and within 500 metres of the operator.
While names of companies and institutions who have been granted permission to fly drones has not been revealed, the type of work being undertaken includes aerial photography and filming, surveying of buildings and land, emergency services work, and surveillance in support of law enforcement, data collection, evidence gathering and security.
The Civil Aviation Authority grants three types of ‘permissions’ to fly unmanned aircraft : a) permission for a one-off flight, b) permission for a series of flights in a limited time frame, or c) blanket permission which must be renewed on an annual basis.
The CAA has told Drone Wars UK that out of the 100 applications submitted between January 2010 and September 2011, 98 blanket permissions were issued. With one exception all the applications were for drones weighing less than 20kg. While in the time frame many of the 98 applications will have been renewals a conservative estimate is that around fifty to sixty companies and public bodies are regularly flying unmanned drones in UK civil airspace.
Chris Cole of Drone Wars UK said: “I expected to find that the CAA would have mostly granted one-off permissions to fly drones in UK airspace, with perhaps a handful of blanket permissions granted each year. However around ten times the number of blanket permissions are being granted. Once this blanket permission has been granted, who monitors what these companies are doing with their drones?”
Some work being undertaken by these drones seems fairly innocuous, including application for tasks such as “surveys for geography, environment and archaeological survey” and “data gathering for insurance, building surveys, health and safety etc.“ The majority of applications however, contain little real information about the work being undertaken with “stills & video photography from the air” and “aerial photography & video” being common. Occasionally other types of work are mentioned such as: “evidence gathering, surveillance and search” and “surveillance in support of UK law enforcement.”
While the CAA are responsible for ensuring that these unmanned flights within UK civil airspace are flown safely, who is ensuring that the public’s privacy and civil liberties are protected?
Fault Lines: The Robot Wars
An excellent 25 minute overview of the growing use of drones and robots in warfare from the Fault Lines series on Al Jazeera (broadcast on 27/12/11)
The programme examines how the use of unmanned systems has developed over the past decade, looks at the legality of their use as well as ethical issues. Containing interviews with Pete Singer, Philip Alston and Ron Arkin, this is really the best thing on drones we have seen in a long time. Highly recommended.
For more details see Fault Lines website
A wrecked USAF Predator MQ-1B after crashing on a training flight in Nevada in 2009
Our Drone Crash Database has been updated with the details of another thirteen drone crashes that have taken place over the past ten months, including the crash (or ‘hijacking’ according to the Iranians) of the US stealth drone in Iran last week. According to our database 25 large drones have crashed so far this year. Altogether our database records some details of 90 drone crashes since January 2007.
USAF accident investigation announcements reveal that three US Predator drones have crashed in Djibouti, one in March 2011 and two in May 2011. While there are only bare details at this stage, more details should become available when the investigation report is published. It has been known for some time that the US is using a base in Djibouti to launch drone attacks in Yemen and Somalia.
Also revealed by the USAF accident investigation announcement is that the drone that crashed in Jalalabad in Afghanistan on 20th August 2011 was a US Global Hawk RQ-4 drone. This is the first time that we have recorded a crash by a Global Hawk.
Other crashes include an Israeli Heron drone that crashed in Turkey and a Chinese Pterodactyl drone apparently on a test flight.
There is growing pressure on aviation authorities around the globe to allow unmanned aircraft to be allowed to fly in civil airspace. The continuing high level of drone crashes must call this into question.
<Thanks to all who send in details of drone crashes>
RQ-170 Sentinel drone
There has been intense media coverage of the downing of a US drone in Iran over the past week. Iran has previously claimed that it has shot down ‘Western drones’ (as we reported here) but they have never provided proof despite saying they would.
Initially the US denied any of their drone had been downed and then said that the drone may have been one lost in Afghanistan previously. Within days however the CIA was saying – through the usual ‘unnamed sources’ – that it was one of their drones that had crashed inside Iran.
The drone concerned is a RQ-170 Sentinel. It was dubbed the ‘Beast of Kandahar’ when the then unknown drone was first spotted by the press in 2007 and 2009. It’s existence was officially confirmed – and its name officially revealed – in late 2009. However little detail about the drone has been revealed. All that is known about the drone is that it is stealthy, jet powered and unarmed.
The Beast - tamed
On December 8, Iranian TV showed video footage of the drone and claimed that they had electronically hijacked it and brought it down. This seems improbable and its far more likely the drone simply crash landed. The fact that bottom of the drone was covered and it appeared to have no landing gear also points towards a crash. When contact with a drone is lost, the drone is programmed to go into a holding pattern until contact is recovered. Perhaps the drone did this until it simply ran out of fuel. However the drone, which flies at a high altitude, would have been much more damaged if it had crashed in this manner so many questions remain. Some have questioned whether the drone displayed by Iran was in fact a fake.
In a protest letter about the incursion of the drone on to it territory, Iran has called on the United Nations to condemn the “violation of international rules by the U.S. government.”
Meanwhile other drone ‘beasts’ continue to rampage. There has been two days of violence in Gaza following an Israeli drone strike. According to the Irish Times “Gaza residents said a 42-year-old civilian was killed in an Israeli air strike on Hamas training facility. Seven members of the man’s family were wounded, including his father, wife and five of his children.”
And no doubt, US and UK drone strikes in Afghanistan continue completely unreported. Time these drone ‘beasts’ were caged too.
