Unmanned Aerial Drones Coming Soon Above U.S.

cnet-declan writes "Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been flying over Iraq and Afghanistan, but now the Bush administration wants to use them for domestic surveillance. A top Homeland Security official told Congress today, according to this CNET News.com article, that: "We need additional technology to supplement manned aircraft surveillance and current ground assets to ensure more effective monitoring of United States territory." One county in North Carolina is already using UAVs to monitor public gatherings. But what happens when lots of relatively dumb drones have to share airspace with aircraft carrying passengers? A pilot's association is worried."

huzzah

[MORTAR_COMBAT!]

hail skynet.

what happens?

[RedACE7500]

But what happens when lots of relatively dumb drones have to share airspace with aircraft carrying passengers? Hilarity ensues...

Re:Wryness

[Anonymous Coward]

what about being liberated in liberia? eh?

Re:They're already here...

[An ominous Cow art]

Hmm, you know fuel prices are high when the unmarked black helicopters have been replaced with unmarked black blimps :-).

Raises a question:

[Runefox]

But can they run Linux?

America's new twist on an old sport

[billcopc]

How high do these things fly above ground ? Are then within rifle range ? :) Skeet shooting could take on a whole new perspective!

Goddamn Homeland Security Slush Fund...

[xxxJonBoyxxx]

"The issue came to head when AOPA learned that the Gaston County Police Department in North Carolina had bought a "CyberBUG" UAV from Cyber Defense Systems."

Every fucking time I turn around another police outfit from Bumblefuck, U.S.A. has bought itself a shiny new toy with my "homeland security" tax dollars. (Add your least favorite story about the new SWAT team in a county with three homocides a year, an armored car for a town of 50K people, etc.) And because there usually aren't any terrorists anywhere near them, these knuckledraggers end up figuring out a way to chase the usual crowd of inbred drunks around town with it.

Re:huzzah

[sgt_doom]

The next news flash will be that those UAVs are now networked with Diebold voting machines?????

Obligatory HSR reference.

[boarder8925]

Freedom over. Police state = very yes [homestarrunner.com].

excellent resolution?

[wardk]

I hope they can see well enough to get a good up close view of my middle finger. I'll even isolate it for them to make it easier.

Re:UAVs vastly superior to blimps

[drgonzo59]

Take your pistol, shoot it down and wait and see who will come after you to you arrest you for shooting down their drone.

Even better! Build you own drones to fight the drones that stalk you or build a EMP emmiting device and watch these suckers drop from the skies like frozen turkeys.

Re:UAVs vastly superior to blimps

[Anonymous Coward]

They are not. They are a renewable source of flying thing. Its, .. Its like nuclear power, .. a renewable source .. of energy, .. only blimps fly. Trust me I know about these things.

~George Bush

Re:There are a number of reasons, actually.

[Anonymous Coward]

Where's Gordon Freeman? The Combine is starting to make its move!

Re:I've done it

[rachit]

> As a little kid I actually tried put this myth to the test it worked flawlessly.

Where's that -1 Evil moderation when you need it?

Re:Contrarian view

[Anonymous Coward]

Geheime a break.

Re:Contrarian view

[martinX]

"The RQ-1A/B Predator is a system, not just an aircraft. The fully operational system consists of four air vehicles (with sensors), a ground control station (GCS), a Predator primary satellite link communication suite and 55 people."

That thing is freakin' awesome.

Except for the whole Deathbringing, and suppression of my rights and stuff. But still...

Re:UAVs vastly superior to blimps

[JustOK]

Since when were blimps NOT arial vehicles?

I thought they were Times New Roman...

Re:Two words

[KDR_11k]

Those aren't any fun until you mention the second part: laser-guided missiles.