drones – News Stories About drones - Page 22

US Missiles Kill 8
Militants in Pakistan

Mar 1, 2009 2:02 PM CST

US Missiles Kill 8 Militants in Pakistan

Islamabad complains that drone strikes help Taliban

(Newser) - An American drone attack today killed at least eight militants in a Pakistani tribal area, Reuters reports. "There are 'guests' among the dead," an anonymous intelligence official says, referring to non-Pakistani militants. The missile assault struck either a house or a bunker in South Waziristan, a Pakistani Taliban...

Pakistan: US Strikes Boost Local Qaeda Threat

Feb 25, 2009 12:26 PM CST

Pakistan: US Strikes Boost Local Qaeda Threat

But attacks are cutting fighters' global abilities

(Newser) - US drone strikes are heightening al-Qaeda’s threat to Pakistan, even as the attacks hurt the organization's ability to coordinate on a global scale, Pakistani officials say. The strikes have helped decentralize the group, but pockets focused on local jihad are fighting back. The officials also worry that an upcoming...

US Drone Kills 31
in Pakistan Strike

UPDATED

Feb 16, 2009 5:44 AM CST

US Drone Kills 31 in Pakistan Strike

Attack is first in region bordering Waziristan

(Newser) - A US drone plane fired missiles at a building reportedly housing militants in northwest Pakistan, killing at least 31 people, reports the New York Times—the second time in three days such a strike has claimed upward of 30 lives. "Afghan Taliban were holding an important meeting there when...

CIA Missile Strike Kills
2 al-Qaeda Leaders

Jan 8, 2009 7:00 PM CST

CIA Missile Strike Kills 2 al-Qaeda Leaders

(Newser) - A secret CIA airstrike on New Year's Day killed two high-ranking al-Qaeda operatives in Pakistan, the Washington Post reports. The missile strike took out al-Qaeda's chief of operations in Pakistan and his lieutenant. The men were linked to high-profile suicide bombings throughout the nation—including a blast at the Islamabad...

US Drone Strike Kills
7 in Pakistan

Dec 22, 2008 6:48 AM CST

US Drone Strike Kills 7 in Pakistan

Attack mounts pressure for government to act

(Newser) - An unmanned US drone is suspected of firing two missiles in Pakistan that killed seven people, the BBC reports. Taliban were seen pulling bodies from a fort-like house afterward as tribesmen fired at the aircraft. Since August, American-operated drones have launched more than 20 missiles in the tribal areas near...

US Drone Downed in Pakistan

Sep 24, 2008 7:27 AM CDT

US Drone Downed in Pakistan

Pakistan claims US spy craft crash-landed near Afghan border

(Newser) - The Pakistani military says it has recovered the wreckage of an American spy drone in the tense Afghan border region. Local tribesmen had earlier claimed to have shot the drone down, but Pakistani officials said the wreckage had no bullet holes, and apparently was downed by a malfunction. US officials...

Army to Speed High-Tech
Gear Into Combat

Jun 27, 2008 2:33 PM CDT

Army to Speed High-Tech Gear Into Combat

New weapons could hit Iraq, Afghanistan by 2011

(Newser) - The US Army has moved up the timetable for its high-tech weapons program, hoping to get new devices into the field by late 2010, 5 years ahead of its original schedule, Popular Mechanics reports. It’s also shifting focus away from conventional warfare tech like tanks and artillery and toward...

Robot Drones Have 'Changed War' in Iraq, Afghanistan

Jun 5, 2008 4:51 PM CDT

Robot Drones Have 'Changed War' in Iraq, Afghanistan

Unmanned vehicles help troops target trouble spots, keep casualties down

(Newser) - At the outset of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were little more than nifty, if sometimes helpful toys. They’ve since cemented a key role in US operations, Newsweek reports. Now hundreds of drones, some as small as model airplanes, keep an unblinking eye on militant...

Miami Hopes to Patrol Streets With Flying
Spy Drones

Mar 26, 2008 11:44 AM CDT

Miami Hopes to Patrol Streets With Flying Spy Drones

Police nationwide are clamoring for the 'bots

(Newser) - A flying spy drone may soon join the ranks of Miami's finest, pending FAA approval of the 14-pound bot. "Our intentions are to use it only in tactical situations as an extra set of eyes," says a department spokesman. The US military has been using spy drones for...

US Drone Use Over Iraq Soars

Jan 2, 2008 12:50 PM CST

US Drone Use Over Iraq Soars

Drones over Iraq hit 500K hours

(Newser) - The US military's use of unmanned aircraft in surveillance, reconnaissance, and combat missions has climbed to more than 500,000 flight hours. The drones are mostly deployed in Iraq, but they're being flown remotely by Air Force pilots based in the US. And as troops begin to trickle back home,...

Military Flying Saucers Coming

Oct 13, 2007 12:10 AM CDT

Military Flying Saucers Coming

(Newser) - They’re not science fiction anymore. Researchers have built a real life flying saucer that looks and flies like a B-movie dream. The unmanned craft takes off vertically, maneuvers well, and can land almost anywhere. Cheaper and safer than a helicopter, the Defense Department thinks the saucer could become a...

Military Battles for Drone Control

Aug 20, 2007 1:45 AM CDT

Military Battles for Drone Control

Branches vie with each other for high-tech craft

(Newser) - New enemies are hovering over America's unmanned drone aircraft—branches of the US armed forces battling each other for control of the high-tech flyers. The Air Force is lobbying Congress for exclusive control over purchasing and developing the spy planes, a move opposed by the Army, Navy and Marines.