The Perfect Soldier: Special Operations, Commandos, and the Future of Us Warfare by James F. Dunnigan
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Dirty Little Secrets
UAVs Replacing Spy Satellites
by James Dunnigan
November 28, 2005
Discussion Board on this DLS topic
UAVs are starting to replace spy satellites in
the major espionage agencies. The CIA has long had its own fleet of Predator
UAVs, and now the NGA (National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which analyses
stuff, makes maps, and the like) and NRO (National Reconnaissance Office, which
builds and operates spy satellites) want more UAVs as well. The sudden NRO
enthusiasm for UAVs is driven partly by money problems. Congress is
increasingly reluctant to provide billions for new satellites. For less than a
tenth of what a space satellite costs, the NRO realized they could buy high
flying UAVs (like Global Hawk), and equip them with satellite grade sensors. In
this way, the NRO can get the coverage they need without the expense of a spy
satellite. There’s a more practical reason as well, UAVs can circle a location
(being “persistent”), while satellites only come by each orbit. NGA can also
get stuff from a UAV that they cannot get from the more expensive satellites.
This does not mean there will be fewer satellites, for you still need them to
check out countries you cannot fly UAVs over. But in places like Afghanistan
and Iraq, UAVs are cheaper, and more useful, than satellites.
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