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US uses unmanned drones to hunt Somali pirates
 ABOARD THE USS MAHAN (AP) - American warships off the lawless Somali coast are using unmanned drones to hunt pirates threatening one of the world's most important shipping lanes. Sailors aboard the USS Mahan told The Associated Press they have been using the spy flights daily to spot potential pirate mother ships.All of our manned drones are being used for other stuff. Secret stuff we can't tell you about. For years, the U.S. has used drones to track potential terrorists among Somalia's warlords, but the Navy said more and more of the planes are now being used to fight piracy. The drones can fly more than 3,000 feet above sea level and relay pictures detailed enough to recognize the flags flown on fishing boats that Somalis use to avoid detection.
... to await decisions from the resident legal teams. On Thursday, pictures taken by the drones, some of which also are equipped with night vision, helped apprehend nine pirates after a night flight relayed pictures of a skiff with a ladder onboard. A skiff had fired a rocket- propelled grenade at a merchant vessel in the area earlier. The American warship dispatched helicopters to provide surveillance and air cover, and it deployed a boat with a search and seizure team. Automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades were found and the nine men onboard were detained, although they had thrown the ladder into the sea. Still, the pictures of the ladder taken by the drone can be used as evidence, as the coalition steps up efforts to pursue the pirates through the courts as well as the waves. Were they read their rights before the photo was taken? Tusk tusk. Let them go. "We have a unique capability in which we have an (unmanned air vehicle) that helps us detect the pirates and makes it hard for them to hide," USS Mahan Capt. Stephen Murphy said, pointing to the images the drone relayed to the bridge of the destroyer. "The UAV ... can stay airborne all day and cover thousands of miles (kilometers) of the ocean and be able to spot pirates." Posted by: Steve White 2009-02-16 |
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