Sources: Downed drone spied for CIA

Josey1

Sources: Downed drone spied for CIASeptember 23, 2001 Posted: 9:26 AM EDT (1326 GMT) From Jamie McIntyreCNN Washington Bureau WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. government sources indicate to CNN that the unmanned spy plane downed by the Taliban on Saturday was providing intelligence for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Both the CIA and the Pentagon refused any comment. Afghanistan's ruling Taliban militia claims its forces shot down an unmanned spy plane in Samangan and a helicopter in areas where opposition fighters had launched an attack. The Taliban said the plane contained computerized equipment and the wreckage will be brought to Kandahar. An official from the opposition Northern Alliance denied reports Saturday that the Taliban had shot down one of its helicopters in northern Afghanistan. Another source indicated the U.S. military is not operating unmanned aerial vehicles over Afghanistan. The Taliban ambassador to Pakistan said Taliban forces used captured Soviet anti-aircraft guns to bring down the plane. Two U.S. unmanned aerial vehicles have been lost over Iraq this year, while on surveillance missions. Iraq claims to have shot down the UAVs in late August and most recently on September 11. The most common type of UAV or "drone" is the Predator aircraft, which flies at lower altitudes, making it more vulnerable to anti-aircraft attack. The small, $3.2 million pilotless plane normally operates at 10,000 to 15,000 feet and is capable of flying a maximum of 24 to 30 hours.

alledan

There is another type of unmanned plane. The marines call it a remote piloted aircraft. It supposedly is powered by a Kawasaki type snowmobile engine and is 14 feet by seventeen feet. It has a range of 75 miles and was used for things like spotting targets for the 155 rocket assisted artillery.The vehicle was equipped with day and night cameras coupled with a GPS system. The operator was privvy to instanteous information which he provided to different combat units encluding combat aircraft.Generally, the target was hit before it could move out of harms way.