Military Aviation

Drones May be Used in the Eradication of Cocaine Production

Colombia’s police and military units are considering the use of drones to combat a rise in cocaine production in the country. Colombian counter-narcotics police have contracted a local company to test drones for spraying herbicides on coca fields.

The remote-controlled devices will be expected to eradicate 20 acres of coca per day, while carrying approximately 2 gallons of herbicide on every flight.
Coca cultivation has doubled in Colombia since 2012, and currently exceeds 188,000 hectares, according to U.S. estimates.
Three years ago Colombia decided to ban the aerial spraying of coca crops over environmental and health concerns. But drones fly at lower altitudes than spray planes and are expected to have a smaller environmental impact.
The drones could also help Colombian police get around some of the challenges that come with eradicating coca fields in remote and often hostile areas of the country, where the fields are sometimes defended by heavily armed drug trafficking groups or seeded with land mines.
“This decision addresses some of the concerns raised by aerial spraying,” said Juan Carlos Garzon, a drug policy specialist at Colombia’s Ideas for Peace Foundation. “But drones also have their limitations.”
Colombia’s decision to stop aerial eradication of coca crops has been harshly criticized by U.S. officials who have pushed the country to reduce cocaine production.
Colombian officials have argued, however, that aerial spraying destroys legal crops near coca fields and pollutes local water sources. A World Health Organization study said that glyphosate, the chemical used in spraying campaigns, could be a carcinogen, leading Colombia to cancel aerial fumigation.
Colombia is testing other devices as it tries to crack down on cocaine production, including small, armored vehicles known as “caterpillars” that protect manual eradicators from land mines.

The DEA released a report that pegged 93 percent of the cocaine in the United States as coming from Colombia, where the production has tripled since 2013. The former guerrillas of the FARC turned to drug dealing to finance their operations and despite the peace treaty, many of them have continued to be involved in the drug trade.

To read the entire article from CBS News, click here:

Photo courtesy DEA Museum

Defense Department Honors Barbara Bush as a Military Advocate

Among the many people and organizations that remembered Barbara Bush after her passing, the Defense Department paid tribute today to the former first lady, who died April 17. She was 92.

“Mrs. Bush had many roles with great significance to many people,” chief Pentagon spokesperson Dana W. White said in a news conference today.
“To the military, she was a Navy wife, a ship sponsor and a devoted advocate of the men and women in uniform, whom she treated like family,” White said.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Bush family as they celebrate the life and memory of Mrs. Bush,” she added.
Sailors on the Bush-sponsored aircraft carrier USS George Washington and the carrier USS George H.W. Bush named after her husband, a former president and naval aviator, have a special connection to Bush.
“It was our privilege to have Mrs. Barbara Bush as the ship’s sponsor for the nation’s finest aircraft carrier,” Navy Capt. Glenn Jamison, commanding officer of USS George Washington, said in a Navy news release. Bush’s legacy will be long remembered by those who have served and will serve aboard USS George Washington, he said.
The commanding officer of the USS George H.W. Bush described Bush as a “truly remarkable person” and said the crew endeavors to proudly carry her legacy and enduring example of devotion to family.
“A strong and compassionate first lady, a devoted matriarch and champion of literacy, she graced our deckplates on multiple occasions and treated all who served aboard USS George H. W. Bush like her own family,” Navy Capt. Sean Bailey said.
He added, “She will be truly missed.”

The flags of both aircraft carriers were flown at half-staff until after the funeral for Mrs. Bush and then each of them will be presented to the Bush family.

To read the entire article from the Department of Defense, click here:

Photo courtesy DOD

Could a Clash Between Iran and the US Troops Be Coming in Syria?

While both Iran and the United States have engaged in a war of words since the fall of the Shah, their enmity has never spilled over into open conflict. But now the two sides are increasingly moving in that direction as their forces are getting within close proximity to one another in Syria.

Tensions between Iran and the United States over Syria are at the highest they have been since the country’s civil war started in 2011.

While the two countries have repeatedly voiced indignation about the other’s presence in Syria, they have not reached the point of a military confrontation so far.
While the US has targeted fighters loyal to President Bashar al-Assad who have threatened its Kurdish allies and air bases, it has not directly attacked Iranian Revolutionary Guard officers, who command both pro-Assad militias and are embedded with Syrian military units.
Similarly, while Iran has warned the US against intervening in Syria, it has not instructed the groups under its sway to target the US.
In recent months, however, questions arose as to whether the US will continue its policy of non-confrontation with Iran in Syria.
Last month, US President Donald Trump appointed John Bolton, a trenchant critic of Iran, as his new national security adviser.
A George W Bush-era relic, best known as an advocate of the Iraq war, Bolton has reportedly lobbied Trump for a more aggressive posture on Iran.
The US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, also fueled concern about escalation when she said that preventing Iran’s entrenchment in Syria was one of the Trump administration’s top priorities.
Iran’s main regional rival, Israel, is said to have informed US intelligence officials before targeting Iranian positions in Syria, a sign of increasing cooperation between the two, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Militias backed by Iran for their part have vowed to target the US presence in Syria.
“What we are currently seeing is the most serious attempt by hawkish and conservative advisers to get the US directly involved in the Syrian war, an attempt that echoes Israeli concerns about US withdrawal plans from Syria,” said Joe Macaron of the Arab Center Washington, DC, further explaining that the hawkish position is not universally accepted.
“Trump himself and the Pentagon are resisting this temptation, Israel will most probably continue in the foreseeable future to fight its own battles against Iran.”

Right now the Iranians believe that the U.S. position in Syria is untenable and while they’ve set their hooks deep in the Syrian regime, they know that open conflict with the U.S. is counterproductive to their long-term goals. But anything can happen.

To read the entire article from Al Jazeera, click here:

Photo Syrian Army

Operation Vengeance, April 18, 1943, Admiral Yamamoto is Assassinated

The United States had been at war with Japan for about 18 months in April of 1943. After the disastrous events at Pearl Harbor, and the resultant Japanese victories in the Philippines, the U.S. was rocked on its heels. But six months after the defeat at Pearl Harbor, the Japanese suffered a catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Midway. The Imperial Navy had lost four of its frontline aircraft carriers and all of their experienced pilots. Unknown to them, the defeat was because the U.S. had broken their secret JN-25 codes. That would later cost them their best admiral and the architect for the Pearl Harbor mission.

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was the commander of the Japanese Imperial Navy. He had spent time in the United States and traveled extensively when he attended Harvard. While stationed in Washington as a Naval Attache, he developed an affinity for poker as well for America in general. Yamamoto was against the alliance between Japan and Germany and was against war with the Americans.

He knew that in a long, protracted war, America’s vast natural resources and their industrial might would crush Japan. So when the Japanese leaders insisted on war, he planned the attack on Pearl Harbor, hoping for a quick knockout of America’s fleet followed by a quick peace accord.

Japanese propaganda attributed a quote supposedly by Yamamoto that he never said but was believed by the Americans that “he hoped to dictate peace terms while sitting in the White House.” So when the Americans intercepted a radio message that Yamamoto was going to inspect forward Japanese troops they quickly decided to act.

Yamamoto would be flying from Rabaul to Balalae Airfield, on an island near Bougainville in the Solomon Islands, on April 18. He and his staff would be flying in two medium bombers (Mitsubishi G4M Bettys of the Kōkūtai 705), escorted by six navy fighters (Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters of the Kōkūtai 204), to depart Rabaul at 06:00 and arrive at Balalae at 08:00, Tokyo time.

The last image of Yamamoto alive, moments before he took off on his last flight from Rabaul.

The Americans stationed at Guadalcanal had to fly about 1000 miles round trip to intercept Yamamoto and his flight. It was well beyond the range of the F4F Wildcat and F4U Corsair fighters assigned to the Navy and Marine Corps units on the island. It was turned over to the Army pilots of the 339th Fighter Squadron, 347th Fighter Group, whose P-38G Lightning, equipped with drop tanks, had the necessary range to intercept and engage the Japanese over Bougainville.

The twin-engined Lightning had a 20mm cannon and four .50 caliber machine guns in the nose. Equipped with a 330-gallon drop tank, the aircraft would have enough fuel to fly to the area, engage the Japanese and return safely. 18 Lightnings were tasked with the mission, one flight of four whose mission was to kill the two Betty bombers and the rest to fly cover to protect them from Japanese Zero fighters. The mission pilots were:

American pilots Thomas G. Lanphier Jr., Besby F. Holmes, and Rex T. Barber

Capt. Thomas G. Lanphier, Jr.
Lt. Rex T. Barber
Lt. Jim McLanahan (dropped out with a flat tire)
Lt. Joe Moore (dropped out with faulty fuel feed)

The cover flight consisted of:
Maj. John Mitchell
Lt. William Smith
Lt. Gordon Whittiker
Lt. Roger Ames
Capt. Louis Kittel
Lt. Lawrence Graebner
Lt. Doug Canning
Lt. Delton Goerke
Lt. Julius Jacobson
Lt. Eldon Stratton

The Americans took off at 0725 and had to fly a roundabout route there to confuse Japanese radar. The plan was to arrive precisely when Yamamoto’s flight arrived at 0935. In a remarkable feat of dead reckoning, the Americans arrived at 0934, a minute early. They spotted the Betty bombers, just as they dropped down into view in a light haze. The P-38s jettisoned their drop tanks and began to climb to intercept the bombers while paralleling their position.

As Mitchell turned to attack the escort fighters, Barber dove on the fleeing bombers. With a quick devastating burst, he fired into the right engine and fuselage. Turning, he then hit the left engine. The Betty began trailing heavy black smoke and rolled violently and pitched and crashed into the jungle. Yamamoto was dead. But Barber didn’t know which plane he was in and quickly engage the second Betty.

He fired on the right engine of the Betty, which quickly emitted a white vapor. Barber pressed home the attack and the Betty crashed into the ocean. He didn’t realize it, but that plane carried Vice Admiral Matome Ugaki, part of Yamamoto’s staff. He and the crew survived and were rescued by the Japanese Navy later.

Desperately short on fuel, the Americans, after a brief skirmish with the Zeros, broke off for home. They landed with nearly dry tanks. Lanphier did a victory roll over the tower and broke security protocol by announcing on the radio, “That son of a bitch will not be dictating any peace terms in the White House” He claimed credit for shooting down Yamamoto’s aircraft. His account was disputed by the other American pilots as well as surviving Japanese pilots after the war.

The Japanese launched a rescue party for Admiral Yamamoto and he was found the next day. He was thrown clear of the wreckage, still strapped in his seat, grasping his katana sword. He suffered two bullet wounds, one in the shoulder and the other under his lower left jaw that exited above his right eye. That killed him instantly.

The Japanese public wasn’t told about his death until May 21, 1943. The U.S. released a cover story to hide that the Americans were reading Japanese code, that civilian coastwatchers in the Solomons observed Yamamoto boarding a bomber and relayed the information by radio to American naval forces in the immediate area.The Japanese never thought their codes had been broken.

Donald A. Davis, who wrote the book, “Lightning Strike” about the Yamamoto mission—suggests the reason was arrogance. He said that “in the arrogant and incredibly naïve Japanese belief that Western minds could not possibly understand the intricacies of their complex language, particularly when it was wrapped in dense codes. Despite all of the clues, hubris had overtaken them, and they were unwilling to accept the logical truth that their code was worthless.”

The Yamamoto quote that Japanese propaganda so misused was later found in a letter that the Admiral wrote to a friend. He said that he knew the United States would fight long and hard and would be a formidable foe.

It is not enough that we should take Guam and the Philippines or even Hawaii and San Francisco. We would have to march into Washington and sign the treaty in the White House.

But the propagandists in the military turned it into a self-serving lie after the victory at Pearl Harbor. They changed his quote to read: I shall not be content merely to capture Guam and the Philippines and occupy Hawaii and San Francisco. I am looking forward to dictating peace to the United States in the White House at Washington.

America and the military bought it completely and that fact put a huge target on his back. Those same propagandists ultimately cost Yamamoto his life. Would the U.S. risk losing the advantage of the Japanese codes if sentiment wasn’t as high against him? It is debatable. But judging by the glee from the front lines all the way to the White House, they may not have risked it.

Photos: National Archives

Theresa May: Russia and Syria Are Blocking Evidence of Gas Attack

Using the ridiculous excuse of “Security Issues”, the Russians and Syrians are blocking the efforts of the OPCW (Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) to gather evidence are actively trying “to conceal the facts” of the latest chemical weapons attack, according to the United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May.

“The Syrian regime has reportedly been seeking to conceal the evidence by searching evacuees from Douma to ensure samples are not being smuggled from this area, and a wider operation to conceal the facts of the attack is underway, supported by the Russians,” May told the British House of Commons on Monday.
May aired that accusation after the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons announced that a team of investigators had deployed to Syria, only to be barred from the site of the attack due to “pending security issues.” The role of the OPCW investigators has been a central part of the debate between Russian and western diplomats over the last several days, as Russia denied that any gas attack had taken place and tried to forestall western airstrikes against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime.
“It would be possible to make greater efforts on the ground to establish now what has happened in Douma if Russia and the regime were not blocking the opportunity for the OPCW to go to the site, and if efforts were not being made by the regime to ensure that material from the site is not available for that sort of analysis,” May added.
Russian officials maintain that the United Kingdom faked the apparent evidence for the latest attack, which reportedly killed dozens of civilians and injured hundreds more, and then rushed to attack Assad before the OPCW investigation could take place.
“We do not think that these reports could be falsified on this scale,” she said. “The opposition does not operate helicopters or use barrel bombs. [ISIS] does not even have a presence in Douma, and the reports of this attack are consistent with previous regime attacks.”

This latest sham by the Russians and Syrians is the typical maneuver. Cry foul, block an independent investigation and try to erase any evidence before claiming the attacks were staged.

To read the entire article from the Washington Examiner, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Latest Airstrike Against Syria Appears to be the Israelis

The Syrians were evidently hit with another airstrike early Tuesday morning as Syrian state-run television was airing reports of an Israeli missile attack.

Syrian media and locals reported air strikes and Syrian air defense rockets being launched in response in the early hours of Tuesday morning. According to initial reports, the strikes may have targeted Al-Sayrat airbase and rural Homs, as well as areas around Damascus.

Days after US-led airstrikes hit Homs and Damascus on April 14, Syrian Twitter accounts blamed Israel for alleged strikes on Tuesday morning. The first reports emerged around 1:30am. Al Sura Media claimed fighter jets had targeted Syria’s T4 airbase, where Iranian troops are alleged to be present.
Syrian state television showed pictures of a missile that was shot in the air above the base.
State television did not mention three missiles that were fired at Dumair military airport, northeast of Damascus, that pro-Iranian Hezbollah’s media service reported were intercepted by Syrian air defenses.
Opposition sources say Dumair airport is a major air base used in a large-scale military campaign waged by the Syrian army with Russian firepower that regained eastern Ghouta, a rebel enclave on the outskirts of Damascus.
On Monday Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem warned that Iran and Israel are nearing open war as tensions are very high in Syria.
Syria’s Sana Ajel news claimed anti-aircraft units responded to an attack in Shayrat airbase near Homs. That was the same airbase the US struck in 2017 in response to a chemical weapons attack at Khan Sheikhoun.
Reports of strikes at Shayrat airbase and areas south of Damascus were dismissed as rumors by some commentators online. Syria’s regime is gearing up for a battle with ISIS in Yarmouk in southern Damascus, and some said that the sounds of missiles might be related to that conflict.
However, Al-Mayadeen and other pro-regime channels showed video of a strange light, which they claimed was part of the airstrikes, hovering in the sky.

The Pentagon has declared there is “no US military activity near Homs at this time”.

It added: “We do not have additional details to provide.”

To read the entire article from the Jerusalem Post, click here:

Photo : Syrian television screen shot

While the Correct Thing To Do, What Did the Airstrikes Really Accomplish?

Opinion: After the Syrian regime used chemical weapons on its own people once again, the United States, France, and the UK conducted a joint air strike against three different targets in Syria — each of which was related to Syria’s chemical weapons program.

The three targets were destroyed, but were the Syrian chemical weapons research programs actually set back years? With the ability to deliver chemical weapons severely downgraded? No. And a bombing or missile campaign is quite unlikely to achieve that goal.

These are facts. Some of the tin-foil hat wearers out there are screaming that no proof exists that the Assad regime was responsible for this latest atrocity on his country. After the civil war began in Syria in 2011, Assad has regularly used chemical weapons on his own people. No proof?

Some Pentagon experts on WMD (weapons of mass destruction) have put the number of chemical attacks since 2012 conducted by the Assad regime around 200. After the nerve gas attack of last year, the U.S. unilaterally launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the base where the attacks came from. Did the U.S. punitive action have the desired effect?

The Syrian chemical weapons capability was put out of action for only about six-to-eight weeks. Since then, they’ve conducted 20 more chemical attacks. The strikes were far too limited in their scope to have any long, far-reaching effects on the use of these weapons nor on Assad himself.

People ask why? Why would they use these awful weapons against people? Because they are effective, they terrorize the civilian populace and Assad, as well as his cronies in Moscow and Tehran have a very high tolerance for atrocities against the civilian populace so long as the results meet with their aims.

After the Sarin gas attack of last year, the rebel forces in the area that was gassed soon surrendered. Mission accomplished for Assad. The Russians don’t care, they’re quite willing to use nerve agents in foreign countries to kill ex-spies against the Kremlin. See the two assassination attempts in the United Kingdom.

The Iranians? They control the Palestinians thru Hamas which isn’t a Palestinian organization but one in Tehran. Hezbollah, another Iranian proxy in Lebanon similarly takes its orders from Tehran. Which is why the Hamas/Hezbollah rocket launches at Israel always seem to be right between civilian apartment buildings. When the Israelis conduct counter-fire operations against the rocket launchers, there is a ready supply of civilian deaths that they use for their own purposes.

And after the limited strikes of a year ago, the coalition of the U.S., France and the U.K had to act. And again, opposition parties in the U.S. and the U.K are decrying the illegality of without going thru Congress/Parliament. It is a crock of bull. The same thing happened in reverse in 2013 when President Obama did much the same thing.

These opposition “leaders” scream about “no proof” and call for the United Nations to act but had the three countries stood idly by, as much of the world has since 2102, they’d be the first calling for action. The U.N. and the U.N Security Council is completely ineffective and powerless to stop anyone from doing anything. But we digress.

Why did the attacks do little other than to “put Assad on notice” that these chemical attacks won’t be tolerated? First, as we stated above, the targeting of chemical weapons launchers are very hard to eradicate strictly by a bombing campaign. The larger stockpiles can be, but in this case, how badly were the Syrian military units hit?

In truth? Not that bad at all. Secretary Mattis stated, as did General Dunford at the Pentagon, that the planners went to great lengths to limit civilian casualties. So any targets close to civilian areas were not targeted.

And with four days from when the story broke until the missile attacks began, gave the Syrians plenty of time to spread out their stockpiles. The Russians knew what was to come and sent their ships out to sea.

The Syrians moved their aircraft onto Russian bases because they knew the Coalition wouldn’t risk escalating the tensions with the Russians. And destroying any Russian aircraft and the killing of any of their troops would be too dangerous a proposition. Despite the threats the Russians have made about targeting any aircraft or launchers, they did nothing because, in truth, they’ve won.

Both President Trump, Prime Minister May and President Macron made it clear, that a regime change wasn’t the goal of the attack. Assad has stabilized his hold on the country. This attack was even smaller than most civilians in Damascus expected, so they poured into the streets and celebrated the aftermath like a great victory.

After President Trump tweeted to Russia to “Get ready” for the “missiles coming for Syria,” the Assad regime had four days to move any of their research materials or back them up on secure servers elsewhere. The buildings were certainly destroyed as we’ve seen. But the casualties were very low, probably because they had already emptied their buildings, regardless of the 4 a.m. hour.

So Assad’s regime lost a few buildings in the process but their actual chemical weapons capability hasn’t degraded much, if at all. And he knows, that he can and will get away with smaller attacks in the future, despite the proclamation by the United States U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley who said the U.S. was locked and loaded for another strike if Assad uses chemical weapons in the future.

Was the strike the right thing to do? Absolutely, the coalition even got the blessing of Turkish President Erdogan who has blasted the United States for nearly everything the past few years. “With the joint operation by US, UK and France … the Syrian regime received the message that its massacres wouldn’t be left unanswered,” Erdogan said.

“The innocent Syrian people should have been defended long ago. I am calling on the entire world here. Let’s discuss the future of all kinds of weapons of mass destruction, including chemical and conventional weapons in detail, he added.”

“Let’s use all resources for the sake of humanity instead of using them for nuclear and conventional armament projects.”

But will this change anything in Syria? Not much, if at all. The only options are to use the strikes again if need be and use political power to ostracize and sanction both politically and economically the regimes in Moscow and Tehran.

Will Assad use chemical weapons again? Without a doubt, then the U.S., France and the UK will have more decisions to make.

Photos: Wikipedia

Military Planning for Syria, Undone by the President’s Tweets?

The President once again was tweeting wildly after the chemical attack in Syria, and was hinting at a military strike operation being planned, and possibly spelled out a decision timetable while pointing out the weapons the U.S. may employ.

“Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and ‘smart!’” he tweeted on Wednesday, referring to advanced weaponry at least 24 hours before any operation in Syria is likely to begin.
The U.S. military maintains strict discipline when it comes to discussing such operations in advance, taking the position that removing the element of surprise can render operations less effective and put troops in danger.
“The department does not comment on potential future military actions,” Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon said Wednesday when asked about Mr. Trump’s tweet. “I refer you to the White House to characterize the president’s tweet.”
But the commander-in-chief’s statements have telegraphed U.S. military intentions, appearing at odds with Mr. Trump’s own criticisms of former President Barack Obama and catching the Pentagon off guard.
“The last thing in the world any military organization should be doing is telegraphing what you’re going to do,” said retired Army Gen. Ben Hodges. If the U.S. now opts not to conduct strikes in Syria, it would weaken Mr. Trump’s word the next time, he said. “I don’t like it.”
Gen. Hodges, now a senior consultant at the Washington, D.C.-based Center for European Policy Analysis, said he was “appalled” by Mr. Trump’s tweet early Wednesday, not only because it signaled a potential future military move, but because it could box the U.S. into a course of action.
By telling the world that the strike was imminent, the president could have put the USS Donald Cook, which is in the region’s waters and expected to be a part of any operation, in danger of harassment flights and maneuvers by Russian forces, one defense official said.
“It’s a consideration,” he said.

The issues brought forth are reasons for legitimate concern, the Syrian’s are already moving their aircraft to a Russian airbase since the thought is the U.S. will not attack and risk an escalation with the Russians. And while the Russians would know that the ship in the area would be used in any action, it makes no sense to put them in undue danger.

To read the entire article from the Wall Street Journal, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Germany’s Merkel Bows Out of Military Intervention in Syria

Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday that while she supports sending a message that the use of chemical weapons is unacceptable, Germany will not participate in any possible military action in Syria.

Merkel stressed the importance of a united position in response to an alleged attack in Douma that the West is blaming on Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces.

“Germany will not take part in possible military action — I want to make clear again that there are no decisions — but we see, and support this, that everything is being done to send a signal that this use of chemical weapons is not acceptable,” Merkel told reporters in Berlin after meeting Denmark’s prime minister.
The German leader said she spoke Thursday with French President Emmanuel Macron, who has been talking regularly this week with U.S. President Donald Trump about the most effective response to the alleged chlorine gas attack.
Post-World War II Germany typically has been reluctant to engage in military action, and parliamentary approval is required for any military missions abroad. The country often has restricted itself to supporting roles, such as the participation of a German refueling plane and Jordan-based reconnaissance jets in the current international campaign against the Islamic State group.
“I think it is important to have a common line, without Germany participating militarily,” Merkel said. “If the permanent representatives in the (U.N.) Security Council were to initiate steps … going beyond the diplomatic dimension, then we will be supportive.”

When pressed by reporters, Merkel declined to answer how Germany will be supportive or if she is worried that this will escalate tensions between the United States and Russia. She did, however, say that the violations against the use of chemical weapons was a serious issue and that “the reactions will be appropriate.”

To read the entire article from the Washington Post, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Russians Jamming US GPS Signals for Drones in Syria

U.S. military surveillance drones operating in Syria are having their signals jammed by the Russian military, seriously affecting U.S. military operations, according to American officials.

The Russians began jamming some smaller U.S. drones several weeks ago, the officials said, after a series of suspected chemical weapons attacks on civilians in rebel-held eastern Ghouta. The Russian military was concerned the U.S. military would retaliate for the attacks and began jamming the GPS systems of drones operating in the area, the officials explained.
Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., reacted to the news of Russian scrambling Tuesday by saying “Russia wants to undermine our interests at every turn.”
“It is insane to think that Russia is anything but an adversary,” said Sasse.
Jamming, which means blocking or scrambling a drone’s reception of a signal from a GPS satellite, can be uncomplicated, according to Dr. Todd Humphreys, the director of the Radionavigation Laboratory at the University of Texas at Austin.
“GPS receivers in most drones can be fairly easily jammed,” he said.
Humphreys, an expert on the spoofing and jamming of GPS, warns this could have a significant impact on U.S. drones, causing them to malfunction or even crash. “At the very least it could cause some serious confusion” for the drone operator on the ground if the drone reports an incorrect position or is lost, he said.
U.S. analysts first caught the Russian military jamming drones in eastern Ukraine four years ago, after the invasion of Crimea, according to Humphreys. He said the jammers were initially detected as faint signals from space, bouncing off the earth’s surface. The jammers “had a pretty significant impact” on the United Nations surveillance drones that were attempting to monitor the area, grounding the fleet for days and halting intelligence gathering from the air.

The U.S. won’t comment as to if the jamming has caused any drones to crash. However, the jamming appears to affect only the smaller reconnaissance drones and not the larger, armed MQ-1B Predator or Reaper drones.

To read the entire article from NBC News, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia