US Eyeing Sale OF Armed Drones To Key Allies Including India

MQ-9 Reaper Drone

US is Eyeing to sell its battle proved armed drones to key allies, including India, but the move is being opposed by lawmakers who don't want the technology to be exported.

"The Pentagon wants more North Atlantic Treaty Organization members to have such pilotless aircraft to ease the burden on the US in Afghanistan and in future conflicts like the alliance's air campaign in Libya this year," Obama Administration officials were quoted by The Wall Street Journal as saying.

It is believed that India would be one of the potential target countries for the US to sell its drones.

 

Predator Drone

India has been purchasing drones from Israel for quite some time now, and has been developing its drone capabilities, but does not have armed drones like the Predators and Reapers used by US security agencies with devastating effect against al-Qaeda and Taliban targets.

"The Pentagon's proposed sales have set off a behind-the-scenes debate between the administration and some members of Congress over whether the US should speed the spread of a technology that will allow other
countries to carry out military strikes by remote control," the report said. Drones have been highly successful in the war against terrorism in Afghanistan and also in countries like Yemen and Somalia.

However, the report some lawmakers are resisting to such a move from the Administration.



http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/

China And Pakistan Conducted A Joint-Air Exercise Shaheen-1

China and Pakistan have conducted a joint-air exercise called Shaheen-1, which saw the first ever deployment of a Chinese air force contingent to Pakistan.

"A contingent of Chinese PLA air force comprising combat aircraft, pilots and technicians arrived at an operational base of the Pakistan air force," the latter service says. "The exercise has been designed to share mutual experiences, hone professional skills, and accrue maximum benefits from the expertise of the two air forces."

 

 

Pakistan has not disclosed details about the types of aircraft involved, the missions performed, the location of the exercise, or the total number of personnel involved. The only official image shows 24 officers, 12 Pakistani and 12 Chinese.

The exercise took place over two weeks in March.

China and Pakistan have a long history of defence collaboration. Most recently the two countries co-developed the Chengdu/Pakistan Aeronautical Complex JF-17 Thunder multi-role fighter. The Pakistan air force also had a prominent presence at 2010's Air Show China in Zhuhai, with a large chalet and several aircraft on display.

At the November show Zeng Wen, vice-president of the China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation, said Pakistan had 50 firm orders for the JF-17, but could end up buying 200. The nation's first two full-strength JF-17 squadrons are in the process of becoming fully operational.

Flying Aces - Heroes Of Air

A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more. The few aces among combat pilots have historically accounted for the majority of air-to-air victories in military history.

Most promionent  Flying Aces

The "first ace", Frenchman Adolphe Pégoud being awarded the Croix de guerre.

Manfred von Richthofen, better known as the "Red Baron". He scored the most kills in World War I and is arguably the most famous flying ace of all time.

The American literary scholar Francis Peabody Magoun claimed to be Canadian in order to join the RAF, in which service he achieved ace status.

Albert Ball, Britain's first famous flying ace. He was killed in 1917, aged 20.

German Erich Hartmann is the top ace of all time with 352 kills.

Russian Lydia Litvyak of the Soviet Air Force, one of only two female flying aces in history.

On one occasion 87-kill Japanese ace Hiroyoshi Nishizawa flew loops over an enemy airfield as a stunt.

Air Commodore Muhammad Mahmood Alam "Little Dragon". Ace in a Day of the Pakistan Air Force

Colonel Giora "Hawkeye" Epstein, Israeli Air Force (IAF) fighter ace credited with 17 kills, "ace of aces" of modern, supersonic fighter jets.

Brig. General Jalil Zandi, an ace fighter pilot in the Iranian Air Force. The most sucessful F-14 Tomcat pilot ever with 8 confirmed and 3 probable kills during the Iran-Iraq war

Charles B. DeBellevue, the first USAF Weapon Systems Officer to become a flying ace.

Hacker Drone Launches Airborne Cyber Attacks

Computer security specialists showed off a homemade drone aircraft Friday capable of launching airborne cyber attacks, hijacking mobile phone calls, or even delivering a dirty bomb.

Rich Perkins and Mike Tassey built the bright yellow Wireless Arial Surveillance Platform in a garage from a used US Army target drone that they customized to find mobile phones and Internet hotspots.

“It will fly a plotted course and return to base,” Perkins said while showing the WASP to AFP at a DefCon hackers gathering in Las Vegas.

“We loaded it up with the ability to attack Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GSM cellular networks.”

WASP can grab packets of data being sent over the air on wireless networks, or use unsecured hot spots as gateways through which cyber attacks can be launched on computer systems.

The drone can grab GMS mobile phone identification numbers that can then be used to bill outgoing calls. It can also let hackers impersonate cell phone towers and eavesdrop on people’s calls.

Second-hand drones such as that used for WASP can be bought online for about $150.

The rest of the parts were purchased by mail-order for a total tab reaching $6,200, not counting the tremendous number of hours spent working on the project started in 2009.

Perkins said the 14-pound (six-kilogram) drone was built to put the computer security industry on notice that the components are available for such “do-it-youself” creations, which could be used for good or evil.

WASP could find mobile phones in disaster areas, potentially leading rescuers to survivors. It could also fly over a disaster zone to act as a mobile phone tower enabling calls.

On the evil side, WASP could help slip into a company’s computer networks through unsecured wireless networks set up in cafeterias or other spots for the convenience of customers and employees.

The modified drone could also identify key executives by their mobile telephones and then track their movements to look for data-stealing opportunities, such as working on a laptop connected wirelessly to the Internet at a cafe.

“I can take the various pieces of your digital life — Bluetooth headset, cell phone, Wi-Fi — and find the least secure place you exist and attack you there,” Perkins said of WASP.

Such a drone could also carry a small payload, opening up the potential for smugglers to use it or to serve as a targeted biological or nuclear weapon in a terror attack, its creators warned.

“I really fear a policy reaction that stifles research,” Perkins said.

“Let’s look at how to protect from the bad guys doing the same thing without telling us,” he urged.

Perkins and Tassey displayed their creation to security industry professionals here for a major Black Hat conference this week before taking it to DefCon, the world’s largest hacker gathering that kicked off Friday.

Authorities wouldn’t permit WASP to fly over populated areas such as Las Vegas, but video taken from the drone during a flight over a rural area in the United States was posted online at rabbit-hole.org.