BRIAN ROSS REPORTS
- Like Jay-Z + the Beatles, But Worse
- Update: Help for Homeless Children
- Bush Era, Revised -- and with More Barbeque
- The Tax Woman Cometh
- Paging Mr. Stanford: Antigua Called
- Who Are You Calling Partisan?
- Update: IRS Won't Use Private Debt Collectors
- But Is It Art?
- PMA Scandal a Sore Point for Dems in 2010?
- Down in Flames
- A New Mystery for RNC Chief
- PMA Clients Were Big Givers
- Raided Lobby Firm Still a Force on Capitol Hill
- Stanford Update: Another $143 Mil Found
- Cheney, Hooked on Controversy
TOP BLOTTER CATEGORIES
- Abramoff Lobbying Scandal
- American Al Qaeda
- Avian Flu
- Beirut Hospital Out of Gas
- Cheney
- CIA
- CIA Secret Prisons
- D.C. Madam Affair
- FBI
- Federal Air Marshal Service
- Homeland Security
- Hurricane Katrina
- IRS
- Mark Foley Internet Scandal
- Millionaire Sex Scandal
- Nigerian E-mail Scams
- Norman Hsu, Clinton Fundraiser
- NSA: Wiretapping
- Osama bin Laden
- Payola
- Pharmacy Investigation
- PMA
- Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert
- Stanford
- Steele
- Terror
- Troopergate
- U.K. Airline Terror Plot
- U.K. Bombing Attempts
- Wen Ho Lee
- William Jefferson
- Zarqawi
« Previous | Main | Next »
Stepping Up Hunt for Osama Bin Laden, Taliban and Al Qaeda Hideouts
Email
Print
ShareJuly 27, 2007 3:42 PM
The U.S. Air Force plans to deliver its newest and deadliest unmanned aircraft, the Reaper, to the theater of operations in Afghanistan.
"The Reaper is an attack aircraft loaded to the hilt with weapons," Gen. T. Michael Moseley, a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told ABC News exclusively.
Four MQ-9 Reapers, defined by the Air Force as "hunter-killers," are expected to arrive within several months, according to Gen. Moseley.
While previous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have largely served surveillance and reconnaissance functions, the Reaper is geared more toward weapon and attack purposes.
Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.
Named for its lethal nature, the Reaper can carry as many as 14 air-to-ground Hellfire missiles, while its precursor, the Predator, only has the capacity for two. If necessary, the new aircraft can substitute 10 Hellfires with two 500-pound bombs. The Reaper can also remain airborne up to 14 hours fully loaded, with a maximum speed of 300 mph versus the Predator's 135.
"It flies higher and carries more than our older systems, giving our skilled and experienced operators additional capability to find, fix, track and engage a target," said Gen. Moseley about the Reaper's capabilities.
"Not only do we give theater military commanders the capacity to surveil the battlespace and keep a vigilant eye on targets and insurgent activities," said Gen. Moseley, "we are also capable of striking those targets."
The Pentagon budgeted $349 million for Reaper- and Predator-related spending for the fiscal year 2007, according to the Air Force budget report.
Do you have a tip for Brian Ross and the Investigative Team?
July 27, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (65)
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
Why do we announce this to our enemies?
What ever happened to utilizing the element of surprise to our advantage?
Posted by: Just Wondering | Jul 27, 2007 4:02:28 PM
I would like to buy five of these myself. I like firepower... and the idea of putting fear in the eyes of an infidel that calls himself Al Qaeda.
Posted by: DilarasDad | Jul 27, 2007 4:06:56 PM
We could use about 10 of these on the Mexican border.
Posted by: Bill in Dallas | Jul 27, 2007 4:17:32 PM
Hey Brian, is that you on the phone to osama? you left wing America Hater.You going to have tea with Osama later to discuss any new military secrets we have. There are some things people don't need to know
Posted by: airman-c5 | Jul 27, 2007 4:19:10 PM
It doesn't matter that we announce the Reaper. It is flying so high that the enemy won't know its' there until the hellfire missile drops into their cave they call a house.....
Posted by: RJP | Jul 27, 2007 4:19:37 PM
I wish we had 5x of the basic predators to this newer machine. If each Green Berets company had one, alllll the time overhead, then they'd be be uniquely situationally-aware. The pentagon is burned up spending our future generations' money, and always gonna make an excuse that they need more, like a bad house painter.
Posted by: Greg Sudderth | Jul 27, 2007 4:20:39 PM
This should certainly win the hearts and minds of the Afghanis.... when will we EVER learn?
Posted by: War-Pigs | Jul 27, 2007 4:23:23 PM
yea out me down for one also......i want to kick some AQ ass
Posted by: AndyVG | Jul 27, 2007 4:24:44 PM
To: Just Wondering
As to announcing this to the enemies, I would bet money that the Reaper fleet is already there...
Posted by: In the know | Jul 27, 2007 4:31:11 PM
1/3 of all military (ground only?) vehichles are to be unmanned by 2015. It's the law. The era of the killbot. I say why not? Check out the DARPA Urban Challenge.
Posted by: Yay for guns | Jul 27, 2007 4:31:50 PM
To Just Wondering... What exactly are we announcing? That we're deploying an plane that enemy can't see to fire missles or bombs that they can't hide from into their backyard.... Announcing this is a problem why?!?
Posted by: Jacob | Jul 27, 2007 4:37:43 PM
Let's send one for every American killed and there will be no more problems with militants in the mountains. Cheaper than all those boots on the ground.
Posted by: letthemeat UAV | Jul 27, 2007 4:38:49 PM
We also need a special version that homes in on the stink and hot air created by liberal bloggers.
Posted by: blog-this | Jul 27, 2007 4:41:55 PM
Dat Reaper is sweet yo!
Posted by: scottie | Jul 27, 2007 4:53:25 PM
We sure save our enemies a lot of budget money for spies. We just tell everyone what we are doing. Wish Osama was as generous and just announce where he is hiding.
Posted by: bankergal98 | Jul 27, 2007 4:53:59 PM
Use it in the Pakistani border & clean that place out.
Posted by: marc | Jul 27, 2007 4:58:48 PM
What a waste of our money. Don't you just wish you could get these guys in a room. Man to man. And slap the Hellfire out of them.
And ask them "what the Hellfire do you think your doing." Idiots!! :-(
Posted by: Waste | Jul 27, 2007 4:59:38 PM
WE ARE fightning smarter thats for sure!
10 years ago congress & the President would NEVER see spending on that.BUT the war has brought us to OUR senses.And with that NEW v(hulled)-shaped fighting vehicle WE ARE FIGHTING SMARTER.And its all for the LONG RUN.Because these idiots won't go away soon.
Posted by: whitelightning | Jul 27, 2007 5:00:39 PM
There's no question in my mind that we're already taking bids from our enemies for this equipment. Just think about the technology we've already given the Saudis, the Egyptians, the Iranians, etc.
The American media are our enemies!
Posted by: Luigi | Jul 27, 2007 5:04:17 PM
Why does the news media constantly feel they have to tip our hand to the enemy?
Posted by: parkerknoll | Jul 27, 2007 5:13:23 PM
Post a comment
