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Local 2 Investigates Houston Police Secrecy Behind Unmanned Aircraft Test
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[quote:Anonymous Coward 249719:MV80NjcwNTJfNzE4ODg0NF84MDM2NEFCNw==] * new stuff * New UAV Raven B increases airmen’s vision Nov 25, 2007 When airmen need to see beyond the horizon, they call up their newest surveillance drone and an airman-cum-quarterback. The RQ-11B, or Raven B, is a hand-launched small unmanned aerial vehicle with an operational range of 10 kilometers that “gives us eyes on places where we wouldn’t normally get to see,” said Lt. Col. Mary Anne Lutz. Lutz is commander of 506th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron at Kirkuk Air Base, Iraq, which has had the Raven B for a couple of months, flying over Kirkuk for the first time Oct. 10. It replaces the Desert Hawk, a similar craft designed for the same purpose. But the Raven B is “10 times better than the Desert Hawk” in operation, according to Tech. Sgt. Jason Stachowski, noncommissioned officer in charge of the RQ-11B team for the 506th. “The video that feeds from the aircraft is superior [to that of] the Desert Hawk,” he said, as are “the pictures [that] provide us some real-time video and rapid visual assessment.” The Raven B is 3 feet long with a 55-inch wingspan, and weighs 4.2 pounds when carrying a full payload of traditional and infrared cameras. An airman launches the craft by throwing it, a convenience compared to the two-man bungee-cord catapult system used to launch the Desert Hawk. Learning to ‘fly’ But it’s not as simple as throwing a football, Stachowski said. Airmen must complete a 10-day, 80-hour course of academic and operational instruction before they’re qualified on the RQ-11B. The plane can stay aloft for 1-1/2 hours, flying between 100 and 500 feet above ground. It can be programmed to fly a predetermined route — say, around a runway before a C-17 drops in — or controlled from a hand-held device that’s “kind of like a large-size video game controller,” Stachowski said. The controller has a screen that displays real-time video and other peripheral information. During flight, a vehicle operator controls the craft while a mission operator observes the images sent back. The Raven B is also useful during convoy operations because it can travel at 17 to 44 knots, fast enough to keep up with most trucks. “You can also do it for target acquisitioning, battle damage assessment and detection assessment for ground-based threats,” Stachowski said. The Kevlar-covered Raven B is sturdier than its Styrofoam-based predecessor, and is designed to land by crashing into the ground and breaking apart, reducing unintended structural damage. It doesn’t carry stored data, so there’s little risk if somebody who isn’t on the American team picks up the pieces. It’s not likely to fall prey to enemy fire, either, as the battery-powered motor is only barely audible when the tiny flier is up at 300 feet, Stachowski said. Besides, he’s never heard of the Raven B coming under fire. But the Raven B’s best quality, according to Stachowski, is that it provides information without exposing any airmen to danger. The beauty of the Raven B, he said, lies in its ability “to go out there and to reach out past us, to find the threat before it even gets closer ... before our troops get to harm’s way.” http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2007/11/airforce_ravenb_071125w/ [/quote]
Original Message
WALLER COUNTY, Texas -- Houston police started testing unmanned aircraft and the event was shrouded in secrecy, but it was captured on tape by Local 2 Investigates.
Neighbors in rural Waller County said they thought a top-secret military venture was under way among the farmland and ranches, some 70 miles northwest of Houston. KPRC Local 2 Investigates had four hidden cameras aimed at a row of mysterious black trucks. Satellite dishes and a swirling radar added to the neighbors' suspense.
Then, cameras were rolling as an unmanned aircraft was launched into the sky and operated by remote control.
[
link to www.click2houston.com
]
Houston police cars were surrounding the land with a roadblock in place to check each of the dignitaries arriving for the invitation-only event. The invitation spelled out, "NO MEDIA ALLOWED."
HPD Chief Harold Hurtt attended, along with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and dozens of officers from various police agencies in the Houston area. Few of the guests would comment as they left the test site.
News Chopper 2 had a Local 2 Investigates team following the aircraft for more than one hour as it circled overhead. Its wings spanned 10 feet and it circled at an altitude of 1,500 feet. Operators from a private firm called Insitu, Inc. manned remote controls from inside the fleet of black trucks as the guests watched a live feed from the high-powered camera aboard the 40-pound aircraft.
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