A look at the drone that targeted Al Libi
A look at the drone that targeted Al Libi
Washington: The Predator, that killed senior Al Qaida leader Abu Laith Al Libi in Pakistan last week, is an unmanned aerial vehicle operated by a mobile ground control station.
It is equipped with cameras, sensors and radar that can capture video and still images. It also has a targeting system and can carry two laser-guided Hellfire missiles.
It is about 27 feet long, weighs more than 1,100 pounds and can fly at up to 25,000 feet, remaining aloft for up to 40 hours. The prime contractor is General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.
The US Air Force operates a fleet of roughly 100 Predators.
The aircraft provides almost real-time, full-motion video to its ground station. It is remotely piloted; that is, Air Force pilots control and operate the aircraft in Iraq and Afghanistan from Creech Air Force Base near Las Vegas.
Other attacks:
- January 2006: Ayman Al Zawahiri, Al Qaida's second-in-command, is targeted by missiles allegedly fired from a CIA Predator near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. The terrorist leader is not at the site, but officials say four key Al Qaida operatives are killed.
- December 2005: A Hellfire missile allegedly fired by a Predator kills an Egyptian Al Qaida figure, Hamza Rabia, in North Waziristan.
- November 2002: A CIA Predator fires missiles at a building near Kabul after it is bombed by a US aircraft. The dual strike kills Al Qaida military commander Mohammad Atef, one of Osama Bin Laden's top two deputies.
- October 7, 2002: A CIA-operated Predator tracks a convoy in Afghanistan that was believed to contain Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, but US military officials deny permission to fire its missiles.
