Jonathan Pyle
Defense affairs reporter - BBC
Global Hawk unmanned
" Global Hawk " covering the world on a daily basis throughout the day and throughout the week "
Global Hawk aircraft and one of the spy drones the most sophisticated of the U.S. Army , I was able BBC from a rare look at one of them at the base of Grand Forks , North Dicota .
These aircraft can be cut half way around the world and tank of fuel and can track one person on the ground even though the ground was covered with mud from an altitude of 60 thousand feet .
This means that the Global Hawk can theoretically carry out the survey in Syria to track chemical weapons flying in international airspace , or trace the nuclear program of North Korea flying from the island of Guam on the Pacific Ocean .
Col. Lawrence Spinetta operations officer in the " Grand Forks " The Global Hawk aircraft , " covering the world on a daily basis throughout the day and throughout the week , and thus provide significant intelligence to senior decision - makers " , refusing to go into details.
A lot of controversy
Raises the use of unmanned aircraft is a lot of controversy , not least because of the secret killings carried out by armed drones belonging to the CIA such as " Reaper " and " Predator " smaller .
Some Americans fear the way the use of unmanned aircraft in surveillance operations in the interior, and issued 17 states limit the use of legislation .
But the state of North Dicota with low population density and the free open spaces , seem to be more calm about the use of these aircraft.
And the University of North Dicota one of the first universities in the United States that offer a course to get a degree in how to conduct drones .
Although the Global Hawk aircraft is not equipped with weapons , it is still a lot of secrecy surrounding their use.
In Grand Forks Air Force Base , there is little indication so far that the U.S. Army on his way to unveil the aircraft and capabilities.
The U.S. Air Force crew to remove the decals bearing the names to prevent their identification .
Asked us to leave any recording devices or cameras or phones , and were اصطحابنا to one of the " barns " from which the Global Hawk aircraft .
This barn seemed abroad like a shipping container , and inside there are large numbers of screens , but they are all closed during this visit.
The operating room , which oversees the functions of these aircraft , the court strongly behind a heavy door opens with a blade entry is available .
Starting from the inside
Some Americans fear the way you use drones in surveillance operations at home
But we were allowed to watch a pilot simulation performs the task of his office .
One of the pilots acknowledged that he misses what he calls "a sense of leadership without the help of devices " in flight .
He said, " It's not exciting like driving a manned aircraft ," but he added that the ( leadership drones ) are useful in other ways .
Air crew spoke positively about their ability to conduct missions anywhere in the world without giving up feeling comfortable home and family.
This is probably one of the reasons why the pilot feels that " separate little" even though it focuses entirely on his mission .
But these unmanned aircraft are the future .
NATO usually do not buy military equipment , but Member States have cooperated together to buy five Global Hawks planes at a cost of $ 1.7 billion.
By the year 2017 , due to this plane going from " Sigonella " on the island of Sicily, in light of the possibility of helping to secure the freedom of action as well as support the troops on the ground.
More than just a military tool
Companies that make drones is keen to highlight its capabilities beyond the battlefield.
Bob Zaiser said that contributed to the manufacture of Global Hawk program at " Grumman Northdrob the " The Global Hawk took part in the relief activities in the aftermath of natural disasters.
In 2010, flying one of these aircraft over Haiti following the devastating earthquake , where the destruction sites identified and assisted in directing relief efforts, and was able to perform this task from California and survey work for the entire country three times before returning to base.
The Global Hawk aircraft used recently to assess the damage to the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan.
Zeiser acknowledged that there is still a challenge in gaining the support of the public , but he saw that it is possible to overcome the negative perceptions through the definition of the public that the conduct of drones has a safety component and a good way to avoid any harm to the human element .
But there are still a lot of questions about the possibility of integrating UAVs safely in civil airspace , and on people's sense that they are observers do not close your eye in the sky.
