The first armed drone mission since Obama's go-ahead was flown on Thursday, but the aircraft, armed with Hellfire missiles, turned back due to poor weather conditions without firing any of its munitions.
Pradator drones have routinely been flying surveillance missions in Libya, Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, told reporters at a Pentagon briefing on Thursday.
He said the US will provide up to two 24-hour combat air patrols each day by the unmanned Predators.
Marine General James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the drones can help counteract the Dictator Muammar Gaddafi forces' tactic of traveling in civilian vehicles that make it difficult to distinguish them from pro democractic forces.
"What they will bring that is unique to the conflict is their ability to get down lower, therefore to be able to get better visibility on targets that have started to dig themselves into defensive positions," Cartwright said.
"They are uniquely suited for urban areas."
He added, "It's very difficult to pick friend from foe. So a vehicle like the Predator that can get down lower and can get IDs better, helps us." He further Said.
What are USA Predator drones (RQ-1 / MQ-1 Predator) ?
| Role/type | Remote controlled, UAV |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | General Atomics Aeronautical Systems |
| First flight | January 1994 |
| Introduction | 1995 |
| Status | Active |
| Primary user | United States Air Force |
| Produced | 1995–Present |
| Number built | 360 (285 RQ-1, 75 MQ-1)[1] |
| Unit cost | ~ $4.5 million[2] |
| Developed from | General Atomics GNAT |
| Variants | MQ-1C Grey Eagle |
| Developed into | MQ-9 Reaper |
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