Sleek and sinister-looking, the latest weapon against piracy could have flown directly out of a science fiction film.The US military has deployed its Reaper unmanned drones to scour the Indian Ocean with their all-seeing, infra-red eye.
Somali pirates are attacking farther and farther from home; previously safe areas are now very much within range.
The farthest attack from shore has just taken place - an oil tanker managed to evade two skiffs some 1,000 nautical miles (1,850km) off Somalia - 400 nautical miles (741km) north-east of the Seychelles.
In total, close to 200 crew members are being held hostage for ransom and hardly a day passes without news of another attack.
The drone is controlled remotely and can fly up to 18 hours at a time.
Its camera is capable of zooming in on suspected pirates from heights of up to 15,200m (50,000ft).
"It has multiple zooms and is very good for the mission for scanning very large areas," said Cdr Gregory Hand of the US military, as he watched one of the three grey drones taxi along the runway besides the turquoise waters of the Seychelles.
"These aircraft have the capability of carrying weapons, but there are currently no plans to place weapons on them," he says. more
No comments:
Post a Comment