UAV in near miss with helicopter.

wilts | peace | news report Thursday November 04, 2010 16:11 by Sky spy

Safety inquiries have been carried out after two separate incidents when unmanned military drones were almost in an aerial collision with helicopters over Salisbury Plain.

Remote killer

It has come to light these two incidents happened on the same day back in February this year. They involved the army’s new toy named Desert Hawk 3.
Despite this and in the light of financial cut backs the military top brass want more of these. They are cheaper to produce than planes and take less education than it does to train up an airforce pilot.

They are currently in use in Afghanistan to observe those they don’t like and give co-ordinates to the artillery, soldiers or helicopter gunships.

Earlier this year the military airspace in Wiltshire in which drones were permitted to be flown was increased as these craft increased in size and number.

Inquiries by Airprox, the official air authority investigation board which looks into such near air collisions that it happened twice on the same day.

This comes at a time when the British military want to use more of these remote killing machines. Last month the Ministry of Defence extended its contract to operate Israeli Hermes 450 surveillance drones in Afghanistan.

Plus practice flights are planned for the area around Parc Aberporth, Wales.

This trade in military hardware between Britain and Israel may go some way to accounting for recent reports on the Foreign Secretary’s time in Jerusalem.
Its been reported that the laws regarding universal jurisdiction will be dropped to allow Israeli leaders and military personnel into the UK without fear of prosecution.