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 Defense Secretary Robert Gates will be traveling to a meeting of NATO defense ministers this week to discuss military needs in Afghanistan, which include more such eyes-in-the sky. And Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said Tuesday that the demand for intelligence-gathering aircraft there, as well as in Iraq, "has never been higher."
According to military officials and budget documents, the Pentagon's spending proposal would buy more of the larger, costlier and deadlier Air Force Predators and Reapers than in the current budget year. The hunter-killer drones are armed with missiles and can also rapidly relay photos and video to troops on the ground.
Early last week, Abu Laith al-Libi -- a key al-Qaida leader -- was killed when a Predator fired on a suspected terrorist safehouse in Pakistan's north Waziristan region. Predators, which are used by the Air Force and the CIA, are armed with Hellfire anti-tank missiles. Officials have not confirmed whose Predator struck al-Libi, although all signs point to the CIA.
Overall, the Defense Department is asking for $2.6 billion in its base budget for a variety of drones for the Air Force, Army and Marines. Also, the Navy is looking for at least $800 million for continuing research and development, particularly regarding drones that can take off and land vertically from its ships.
The Pentagon also has a pending request for $460 million in emergency war funding for unmanned aircraft that has yet to be approved by Congress. That money is not included in the 2009 budget proposal, but in a supplemental request. The 2008 budget included about $2.3 billion for drones.
"The secretary is doing everything within his power to make sure that the commanders on the ground have as many intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets as humanly possible," Morrell told reporters.
He said Gates, who will leave Wednesday for a NATO meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania, will urge defense ministers there to do all they can to meet the needs of the military in Afghanistan. Gen. John Craddock, the top NATO commander and head of the U.S. European Command told, The Associated Press last week that the military is looking for more surveillance and other intelligence-gathering systems to help aid the fight in Afghanistan.
The growing dependence on unmanned aircraft is evident in the Air Force's budget request, which seeks a total of 93 aircraft, 52 of which are drones.
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 Of those, 39 are Predators, at a cost of about $378 million, and nine are Reapers, for about $161 million. Another $80 million is being requested for ongoing research and development of those programs. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. is prime contractor for the Predator.
The Air Force also is asking for nearly $1 billion for continued research and the purchase of five Global Hawks, which are the military's top surveillance system. Northrop Grumman Corp. is the Global Hawk's prime contractor.
At the same time, the Army budget includes about $186 million for one of its new Warrior systems, which includes 12 drones and is an armed hunter-killer similar to the Predator.
The Army also continues to rely on its workhorse drone, the Raven, which weighs about four pounds and can be launched into the air by hand. Smaller Army units, such as companies and battalions, have Ravens, which they often use to locate roadside bombs or give soldiers a glimpse of what is going on over the next hill.
There is $30 million in the proposed budget for 168 Raven systems, which each include three drones and required controls. Thus, all together the Army wants 504 of the drones. AeroVironment Inc. builds the Raven.
As of Jan. 15, Army drones have spent nearly 400,000 hours in the air in Iraq since February 2003. The total for Afghanistan, during that same time period, is close to 20,000 hours.
The Marines are seeking about $20 million in the 2009 budget for one Shadow system, which includes four drones. AAI Corp. builds the system.
The Navy is also working to develop unmanned aircraft, and is looking for at least $800 million for ongoing research on several unmanned combat and surveillance systems.
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On the Net:
Defense Department: http://www.defenselink.mil/
[Associated
Press; By LOLITA C. BALDOR]
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