Afghanistan - Could the Taliban get their own UAV's ?
Posted: Friday, December 18, 2009
by Highway 101
A US congressman named Charlie Wilson was the driving force behind arming the Mujahedeen with Stinger missiles which eventually forced a bloodied Russian army to retreat from Afghanistan. If one US congressman could enable a rag tag force of tribesmen to defeat the Russian super power the question must be asked, is there a Charlie Wilson clone sitting somewhere in the Middle East planning to arm the Taliban with UAV's to threaten US and NATO forces air superiority? Why unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV's) not missiles? Obtaining missiles with the range and guidance required to strike deep into enemy territory are expensive and not so easy to transport across the rugged terrain of Bora Bora. UAV's on the other hand can be flown at very low altitude in to staging posts and can be used to detect and possibly attack US and NATO UAV's. Impossible? Two UAVs launched by Hezbollah against Israel August 13, 2006 were downed by Israel. News reports claim that these were unarmed Iranian made Ababil drones. Logic says that it is only a matter of time before Iran produces UAV's of sufficiently high quality to be able to enter combat with allied forces drones flying along the Afghanistan and Pakistan border and once those get into Taliban hands then that could significantly change the stakes. Iran is not the only player which could provide the Taliban with sufficient air power to disrupt US dominance of the skies in the region. Right on their doorstep in Pakistan UAV development is the process of emerging in sophistication from a cottage industry.
Air superiority is key to success in most modern day wars. The Russians lost that superiority in Afghanistan when the Mujahedeen got access to the Stinger missiles. Imagine what might happen if the Taliban created its own air force of drones but equipped not with the $4.5 million Predators now circling Afghanistan but something much more affordable that could be purchased by say wealthy sympathizers in the Middle east.
A company at the forefront of UAV development in Pakistan is East West Infinity whose Heliquad micro tactical UAV equipped with a tiny camera can relay pictures back to an operator perched on a mountain top. This Pakistani UAV is exceptionally small and powered by four electric motors. This highly stealthy Heliquad UAV pricing starts about $20,000 whereas the single use Stinger missile deployed against the Russians typically cost $126,000. A reusable Heliquad UAV at less than 20% of the price would be a good investment for any terrorist organization albeit for reconnaissance only.
The recent story of militants in Iraq being able to access video from US UAV's must surely be a warning shot across the bows that the terrorists are getting smarter and the lesson to be learned is - underestimate them at your peril. Maybe the military training camps in the US that simulate conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan might take their training one step further and employ hackers and telecoms professionals from industry to further test their ability to withstand possible future terrorist innovations.
Vince Waterson is a telecommunications consultant and can be contacted at vince@icanresource.com
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