Friday, 30 December 2011The U.S. Army has unveiled a new helicopter-like surveillance drone, the Boeing A160T Hummingbird, equipped with a cutting-edge 1.8-gigapixel camera, the BBC reported on Friday.
The drones are capable of “beaming back information and images of the surrounding terrain” in real time due to the highly sensitive 1.8-gigapixel camera, the largest video sensor used in tactical missions, the U.S. Army said on its website.
Its surveillance equipment’s characteristics were enough “to track people and vehicles from altitudes above 20,000 feet (over six kilometers) across almost 65 square miles (168 square kilometers),” the BBC said.
According to the BBC, three drones will be deployed to Afghanistan in May or June, after they complete the flight testing in Arizona in the beginning of the year.
The 35-foot (ten meters) aircraft does not need a runway as the drones are equipped with a vertical take-off-and-landing system - ideal for Afghanistan's mountainous terrain.
The drones’ hovering capability is one of the unique features that existing unmanned aircraft do not have, the BBC said, citing the U.S. Army statement.
The cutting-edge surveillance technology has, however, been blamed for a number of a "friendly fire" incident in Pakistan.
Islamabad hit out furiously at NATO over drone strikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November on the Afghan border. NATO claimed the attack was a result of incorrect mapping information.
In early December, Iran unveiled video footage showing a captured U.S. surveillance aircraft. Tehran refused to return the drone and demanded an apology from the Pentagon for the invasion of its territory. |
Friday, 30 December 2011
Ria Novosti
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