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Science/Tech See other Science/Tech Articles Title: FAA Objects to Drones Reaper, the Air Force's latest unmanned aircraft, is expected to be assigned to the Air National Guard base in Syracuse by 2010. But it may not fly the skies over Syracuse because of its inability to detect and avoid other planes. Federal Aviation Administration rules bar unmanned aircraft like the Reaper from flying in civil airspace without the ability to "sense and avoid" other planes. That could be a problem for the Reaper and the Air Guard's 174th Fighter Wing, which wants to remotely fly Reapers from Hancock Field in Syracuse to Fort Drum, near Watertown, for practice bombing. The drones would have to take off from Hancock and cross civil airspace on their way to the Army base. The Reaper, a bigger and more powerful successor to the Predator drone used by the military in Iraq and Afghanistan, has no pilot inside to look out the window it does not even have a window and watch for other planes. The aircraft is controlled by an operator on the ground possibly on the other side of the globe using satellite communication and a video monitor. Since it is designed to find, follow and destroy ground targets, and not engage in air combat, the Reaper does not come equipped with radar to detect other planes, said Col. Anthony Basile, commander of the 174th Fighter Wing. Putting such radar on the Reaper would add unnecessary weight and, because radar emits electronic signals, possibly alert the enemy to its presence, he said. "These things are fairly stealthy," he said. The Reapers also are not equipped with transponders, which send out an electronic signal that tells air traffic controllers and other aircraft its location and can warn of an impending collision with another plane, Basile said. Although the weight of a transponder would not be an issue, the devices alone would not satisfy the FAA's concerns because not all aircraft are equipped to receive the warning that they were on a collision course with a Reaper, he said. The FAA says it will make exceptions to its rule, but it imposes conditions. It requires unmanned aircraft to have transponders. And to make sure the drones do not interfere with other aircraft, ground observers or accompanying "chase" planes must maintain visual contact with them. Basile said chasing the drones with a plane or the stationing of ground observers over the 60 miles between Hancock and Fort Drum would be impractical. He said he is hoping industry can come up with a technological solution to the problem by the time a squadron of 14 Reapers is assigned to Hancock in 2009 or, more likely, in 2010. He said the solution may be a combination of transponders and some other sensors
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