Drone flights in Iraq to increase after US troop withdrawal

Denver - US Army officials expect an increase of unmanned aircraft flights in Iraq despite the government’s decision to withdraw some of its American combat troops.

The US Army is predicting flight hours for drones will increase as the mission in Iraq changes due to a much-publicized troop withdrawal, even as President Barack Obama announced on Saturday that “the war is ending.” US Army officials recently spoke at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International conference, held in Denver Colorado. Col. Gregory Gonzalez, Program Executive Office for Aviation’s project manager for unmanned aircraft systems at Redstone Arsenal, said: “You've heard recently all combat units have pulled out of Iraq, but we have not seen any reduction in the number of [unmanned aircraft] flight hours. You will see an increase in flight hours in the next year. It's not going to slow down any time soon,” according to Defense News. A more accurate assessment of the Iraqi war situation is expected by October, said Col. Robert Sova, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) capability manager with the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command, and he also predicts drone flight hours will increase. “What we're seeing is a significant increase in the use of communications relay and communications extension. The need to cover a geographical area is still the same, but now we have less troops." That translates into increased surveillance requirements. Gonzalez also noted the Army’s use of drones in Afghanistan is also expected to increase. "Overall, we have more and more systems going into Afghanistan," he said. A UPI report noted that Boeing was recently awarded a $69 million contract for building drones at its St. Louis plant. In addition to that contract, it is reported that L-3 Communications Geneva Aerospace received a $250 million deal with the US Defense Department to provide US Special Operations with unmanned vehicles. Some senior analysts surmise the unmanned aircraft market will grow to nearly $40 billion. Larry Dickerson, senior analyst at Forecast International, a research company specializing in defense and aerospace, said: “That breaks down to about $17 billion spent on research and development, with another $20 billion on putting the craft into production.”