CONTROVERSY: ROBOTIC WARRIORS!

CONTROVERSY: ROBOTIC WARRIORS!

It may sound like science fiction, but the prospect that suicide bombers and hijackers could be made redundant by flying is a real one.

The technology for remote controlled light aircraft is now advanced, widely available-and experts say virtually unstoppable.

Models with a wingspan of five metres, capable of carrying 50 kilograms(110.23 pounds) remain undetectable by radar.

And thanks to the satellite positioning systems, they can now be programmed to hit targets some distance away with just a few metres of pinpoint accuracy.

Security services, the world over have been considering this problem for several years, but no one has come up with a solution.

?We are observing an increasing threat from such things as remote-controlled aircraft used as small flying-bombs against soft targets,? the head Canadian secret services, Michael Gauthier, said.

According to Gauthier, ?Ultra-light aircraft, powered hang gliders or powered paragliders have also been purchased by terrorist groups to circumvent ground-based countermeasures.?

In august 2002, for example the Cambodian military reported finding nine small remote controlled planes at a base it had taken from Revolutionary Armed Forces (RAEC)

On April 11, 2005 the Lebanese Shiite Militia group, Hezbollah, flew a pilotless drone over Israeli territory, on what called a ?surveillance? mission. The Israeli military confirmed this and responded by flying warplanes over southern Lebanon.

Remote-controlled planes are not hard to get hold of, according to Jean-Christian Delessert, who runs a specialist model plane shop near Geneva.

?Putting together a large-scale model is not difficult- all you need is a few materials and decent electronics technician,? says Delessert.

In his view, ?if terrorists get hold of that, it will be impossible to do anything about it. We did some tests with a friend who works at a military radar base: they never detected us??if the radar picks up, it thinks it?s a flock of birds and automatically wipes it.?

Bruce Simpson, an engineer from New Zealand, managed to produce a contraption in his garage: a mini cruise missile (visit his site: www.interestingprojects.com ). He made it out of readily available materials at cost of less than 5000$.

Japanese company Yamaha, meanwhile has produced 95 kilogram (209.44 pound) robot helicopter that is 11.8 feet long and has a 256cc engine.

So soon military power would NOT comprise of financial or technological development as technology can be harnessed even from the crap.

DON'T FORGET TO PUBLISH YOUR COMMENTS AND GIVE YOUR POLL IN THE SIDE BAR.