Remote-controlled aircraft would patrol Arctic: military
Last Updated: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 | 9:41 AM ET
CBC News
Related
Internal Links
- YOUR VIEW: What do you think about the military's plan?
- IN DEPTH: Arctic Sovereignty
- Military readies jets in Labrador over Russian exercises
- Canada running out of time on Arctic claim, expert warns
- Broken ship halts Russian expedition to claim Arctic seabed
- Ottawa buying up to 8 Arctic patrol ships
The Canadian military plans to buy a fleet of remote-controlled aircraft to patrol the Arctic, an official told CBC News.
The General Atomics Predator shown here is capable of both reconnaissance and armed attack. The Canadian Forces have not yet decided on the type of drone it will purchase for northern surveillance.
(Courtesy of General Atomics)
Lt.-Col. Wade Williams said the drones, known as unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, will be equipped with cameras, radar, radios, electronic sensors and possibly even weapons.
They will fly day-long surveillance flights over water, land and ice while being piloted by an air crew stationed on the ground at a control station that could be thousands of kilometres away.
"I think UAVs will go a long way to alleviating the requirement to have constant manned aircraft in the air," said Williams, who is with the military's UAV program.
"They can do a lot of the eyes and ears missions that are being done today with manned aircraft."
The military hopes to acquire the new aircraft within five years, but does not yet know how many it will buy or where it will buy them from.
There is no estimate yet on how much the aircraft will cost, though Williams said the drones are typically less expensive than the Aurora patrol aircraft the military currently uses when it flies surveillance missions.
UAVs are more affordable because they are generally smaller, lighter and cheaper to build than Auroras, and they use less fuel, need less maintenance and require fewer crew members with less training.
Pierre Leblanc, a retired colonel and a former commander of the Canadian Forces' northern command, said the new aircraft could make sense economically, but stressed that no technology can replace a human presence.
"Typically, a manned flight with human beings right there, physically looking at the situation, generally gives you a better understanding of what's taking place and a better capability to react to it," Leblanc said.
Share Tools
Top News Headlines
- Senior Pakistani politician shot dead
- Gunmen in Pakistan have killed a senior member of Imran Khan's Movement for Justice (PTI) party outside her home in Karachi. more »
- Rescue attempt over for New Brunswick fishermen
- The rescue attempt for two missing fishermen has been called off in New Brunswick, hours after one body was found. more »
- Car drives into crowd at Virginia parade
- About 50 to 60 people were injured after a driver described by witnesses as an elderly man drove his car into a group of hikers marching in a parade in a small Virginia mountain town. more »
- Spectator killed at Edmonton Jeep event
- A 20-year-old woman died Saturday during an event for Jeep enthusiasts held in a parking lot just west of downtown Edmonton. more »
Must Watch
Latest Canada News Headlines
- Spectator killed at Edmonton Jeep event
- A 20-year-old woman died Saturday during an event for Jeep enthusiasts held in a parking lot just west of downtown Edmonton. more »
- Rescue attempt over for New Brunswick fishermen
- The rescue attempt for two missing fishermen has been called off in New Brunswick, hours after one body was found. more »
- 1 person hurt after trains collide near Medicine Hat
- The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is deploying a team to the site of a two-train collision east of Medicine Hat. more »
- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford cancels weekly radio show
- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford will not be hosting his weekly radio show this weekend after explosive allegations that he was recorded on video appearing to smoke crack cocaine. more »
The National
The Current
- Why thousands of people want a one-way trip to Mars May. 17, 2013 4:08 PM Nearly 80,000 people are eager to blast off on a one-way colonizing mission to Mars - but some experts believe no one is likely to get off the ground.
- Spectator killed at Edmonton Jeep event
- Car drives into crowd at Virginia parade
- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford cancels weekly radio show
- Rescue attempt over for New Brunswick fishermen
- Winning ticket sold in Florida for $590M Powerball jackpot
- Email is proof Senate greenlit expenses, Brazeau says
- Astronaut Chris Hadfield adjusts to 'earthling' life
- Senior Pakistani politician shot dead
- 1 person hurt after trains collide near Medicine Hat
The General Atomics Predator shown here is capable of both reconnaissance and armed attack. The Canadian Forces have not yet decided on the type of drone it will purchase for northern surveillance.