American Luftwaffe has arrived-Global Hawk to Fly 1st Mission Over U.S.

[kpete]

Global Hawk to Fly 1st Mission Over U.S.

The Associated Press

The planes are designed to fly at high altitudes for 40 hour-missions covering as much as 10,000 miles, mostly providing aerial surveillance. The aircraft, which can cost more than $80 million each, can reach an altitude of 65,000 feet and send back high-resolution imagery.


They've become a fixture in the skies over Iraq and Afghanistan, a new breed of unmanned aircraft operated with remote controls by "pilots" sitting in virtual cockpits many miles away.

But the Air Force's Global Hawk has never flown a mission over the United States.

That is set to change Monday, when the first Global Hawk is scheduled to land at Beale Air Force Base in northern California.

"This landmark flight has historic implications since it the first time a Global Hawk has not only flown from Beale, but anywhere in the United States on an official Air Combat Command mission," base spokesman Capt. Michael Andrews said in a statement.

more at:
http://www.timesdaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061119/APA/611191707&cachetime=5
via:
http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=4797

[msongs]

1. nothing new here. military planes have already flown millions of hours over the US

for the past 80 years or so.

Every military airplane flying over the US can take pictures or spy if it wants to.

You may have already been photographed thousands of times and not known it.

Msongs
www.msongs.com/political-shirts.htm

[sweetheart]

2. second mission

5 or 10 minutes in to this video, second mission at least.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1336167662031629480&q=%22painful+deceptions%22

[billbuckhead]

3. We have C130 Spectre gunships practicing in our neighborhood

All year long, daytime and nightime. I guess they have to practice somewhere, but I still resent it.

I bet one of those C130's can do more damage than a global hawk.

[LeftCoast]

4. The American German Airforce has arrived?

Your title doesn't make any sense. Luftwaffe means airforce in German - nothing more.

[TahitiNut]

5. I hear that they're 'piloted' using remote controls built into the Playstation-3.

:dunce: