A Homeland Defense Nightmare
When Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Homeland
Security Secretary Tom Ridge, FAA Director Marion Blakey and TSA
Director James Loy have bad dreams, they might go something like
this:
In advance of a conflict between an American-led coalition and
Iraq... terrorists backed by Saddam Hussein sneak into the United
States. They take delivery on electronics and other parts - nothing
really suspicious by themselves - but assembled, constitute a UAV.
Or several of them. Armed with spray tanks and guided by
American-built GPS satellites, the drones are sent to cities across
America, where, almost undetectably, they release their deadly
cargo and poison thousands of people.
It May Be Happening Now.
The prospect was first raised during Secretary of
State Colin Powell's presentation to the United Nations Security
Council earlier this month (right). In presenting America's case
for military intervention in Iraq, Powell showed members video
images of an Iraqi Mirage F-1 shot in 1991. The fighter was
spraying simulated anthrax toxins from tanks retrofitted beneath
the aircraft. Powell also indicated that unmanned MIG-21 fighters
were retrofitted with these spray tanks and could be used to
deliver deadly toxins over wide areas at long ranges.
"The Iraqi regime has also developed ways to disburse lethal
biological agents, widely and discriminately into the water supply,
into the air,"Powell told the Council. "For example, Iraq had a
program to modify aerial fuel tanks for Mirage jets. This video of
an Iraqi test flight obtained by UNSCOM some years ago shows an
Iraqi F-1 Mirage jet aircraft. Note the spray coming from beneath
the Mirage; that is 2,000 liters of simulated anthrax that a jet is
spraying.
In 1995, an Iraqi military officer, Mujahid Sali Abdul Latif,
told inspectors that Iraq intended the spray tanks to be mounted
onto a MiG-21 that had been converted into an unmanned aerial
vehicle, or a UAV. UAVs outfitted with spray tanks constitute an
ideal method for launching a terrorist attack using biological
weapons.
Iraq Has The Technology
Iraq admitted to producing four spray tanks. But
to this day, it has provided no credible evidence that they were
destroyed, evidence that was required by the international
community.
"There can be no doubt that Saddam Hussein has biological
weapons and the capability to rapidly produce more, many more. And
he has the ability to dispense these lethal poisons and diseases in
ways that can cause massive death and destruction. If biological
weapons seem too terrible to contemplate, chemical weapons are
equally chilling."
Powell went on to describe the UAV's themselves... relatively
simple aircraft that could be either hand-launched or flown from
small grass strips anywhere in the world. He said the size of the
aircraft would make them very hard to detect and destroy in
flight.
Rumsfeld: They Could Be Here Now
Speaking at the Hoover Institute in Washington Tuesday, DEFSEC
Rumsfeld amplified those statements, after news reports that Iraqi
drones, fitted with spray canisters, may well be in this country
already, part of Saddam's potential plan counterstrike if there is
indeed a conflict to effect "regime change" in Baghdad. The drones
would be fitted with GPS targeting capabilities... and would be, in
essence "fire-and-forget" weapons that could be launched from more
than 100 miles away.
"They come in a variety of sizes and shapes and
capabilities," the DEFSEC said on Tuesday. "They're perfectly
capable of being spraying and aerosol capabilities. Today, with
Global Position Systems - (GPS) - and the kinds of maps that one
can buy regularly, these things can be purchased and used and
guided with great precision." Rumsfeld said these unmanned aircraft
would certainly be capable of dispensing chemical and biological
weapons.
"We know that Iraq has a number of so-called UAVs... unmanned
aerial vehicles of different types. They train with them and
exercise them."
Rumsfeld told the audience at Hoover these UAVs "vary
dramatically in ranges. In some cases, countries have taken regular
manned aircraft and equipped them for unmanned flight. So they
would have the typical type of range depending on the speed and
circumstance of the aircraft that they converted. As for the
smaller types made directly for the purpose as opposed to converted
manned aircraft, we've seen them go hundreds of kilometers. It can
be done two ways. It can be done on a guided basis or on a
pre-programmed basis. And, as I say, with great precision."
One Reason We Remain At High Risk For Terror
Homeland Security officials say they've been aware
of the potential for an airborne Iraqi chemical or biological
threat for about four months now. That, say government officials,
is one reason the terror threat assessment was raised from "yellow"
or elevated risk to "orange" or high risk. The high risk assessment
will continue, said Homeland Security Director Ridge, for the time
being.
ANN Note: If this threat starts looking
credible, expect the aviation industry to see restrictions
of unprecedented proportions. We've talked to AOPA
about this and we know they are looking into what may be
necessary to deal with such possibilities. We hope that other
associations are also contemplating how we might collectively
respond to such a threat. We'll keep you informed...