There are at least 63 active drone sites around the U.S, federal authorities have been forced to reveal following a landmark Freedom of Information lawsuit.
The unmanned planes – some of which may have been designed to kill terror suspects – are being launched from locations in 20 states.
Most of the active drones are deployed from military installations, enforcement agencies and border patrol teams, according to the Federal Aviation Authority.
But, astonishingly, 19 universities and colleges are also registered as owners of what are officially known as unmanned aerial vehicles.It is thought that many of institutions, which include Cornell, the University of Colorado, Georgia Tech, and Eastern Gateway Community College, are developing drone technology.
Much more HERE at the Daily Mail Online.
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You've got to hit the link and go to the site, there ain't no fucking way in hell that I can do the article justice. There are several maps there showing different regions of the country and Canada where these launch sites are located.
And then I want all the motherfuckers that said I was full of shit a few months back when I posted that we could look forward to thousands of drones overflying us to kiss my fucking ass. It's already happening. They may be smaller than what the military uses when they invade other sovereign nation's airspace and they may be unarmed, but they can still do us damage and they're still invading my fucking privacy. On the plus side, they don't look like all of them are capable of high speed or altitude, making them easier to bring down if you're having a bad day or a toothache.
Thanks to Sammy for being on his toes and passing this on to us.
There has been talk recently of getting rid of our F-16 squadron here and replacing them with drones.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post, Ken!
ReplyDeleteI will *definitely* read it, and give it some thought.
I've watched the predator drone take off right over my house near NAS Corpus Christi. Had a good view of the intake at close range...
ReplyDeleteWas it a jet or a prop drone? The intake on the Predator is pretty small. If it was a jet, it might have been a Global Hawk.
ReplyDeleteSweet!
ReplyDelete... as in, where I'm at in relation to those sites noted.
On the other hand, I'm within 500 yards of a runway, but most of that distance is across water. I wonder what drone takeoff and landing speeds are?
That would depend on which model drone it is. The earlier Predator drones flew slower, so they'd have a lower takeoff speed. The stall speed was listed as 62 mph, with a cruise of 80~100, and a max of 135mph, so I'll take a SWAG that the takeoff speed is 70~75mph.
ReplyDeleteThe Reaper is bigger, with a cruise speed of 170~195mph, and a max of 300mph.
I couldn't find any stall speed for it, but then I didn't look too hard.
Being bigger and faster would generally mean higher stall and takeoff speeds, so maybe add 20~25mph to that.
They do NOT come screaming down the runway like an F-15 on afterburner!
So, if some jackass is flying a remote control plane over your property, are there any laws on the books yet that prohibit shooting the damned thing? I mean, I'm sure there are local ordinances against shooting at stuff within city limits all over the place, particularly in mexifornia, but I mean specifically any laws against shooting at remote control planes being flown over private property.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of when we had the opportunity to shoot down some old planes (we called them UAVs or RPVs at the time) that were deemed obsolete. It was a lot of fun, but much tougher than we thought it would be. Amazingly enough, it was the guy manning a .50 that brought the first one down.
But...but..it's for the chiiiildrun. No, wait, that's not it. Must be the other excuse for creeping fascism: "if you're not guilty there's nothing to hide." Yeah, that's it.
ReplyDeleteDrJim, prop drone.
ReplyDelete