- Title: EL SALVADOR: Drug drones tested at Comalapa Air Base installation
- Date: 3rd September 2009
- Summary: BARRA DE SANTIAGO, EL SALVADOR (FILE) (REUTERS) AUTHORITIES REMOVING DRUGS FROM BOAT DRUG SEIZURE
- Embargoed: 18th September 2009 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: El Salvador
- Country: El Salvador
- Topics: International Relations,Defence / Military
- Reuters ID: LVA8KZHGSYOLUVHPVUY9VKUPVH4J
- Story Text: As controversy over increased U.S. access to Colombian military bases simmers, a U.S. base in El Salvador is quietly going about its business, testing a drug drone called the Heron.
U.S. military drones used to bomb suspected terrorist targets in Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan may soon appear in the skies over Central America in the battle against drug traffickers.
In May this year Miami-based U.S. Southern Command and the Salvadoran military completed 30 days of drone trials at the Comalapa Air Base in El Salvador.
The small pilotless drone called the Heron, manufactured by Israeli Aerospace (IAI), can fly at over 20,000 feet.
Military experts say it it could be used to counter the movement of narcotics from the Caribbean, Central and South America into the United States.
Southcom has invested $3 million in medium-altitude, long endurance Unmanned Aero Systems (UAS), according to a spokesperson.
During the trials, called Cazador, the Heron conducted daily missions lasting 10-14 hours and covering 10,000 square miles of Salvadoran territory, without the need for aerial refueling.
News of drug drone tests in the region come as Colombia is poised to sign a deal to allow the U.S. military greater access to its bases after Washington's access to the Manta in Ecuador was cancelled.
The Colombia proposal has angered Colombia's neighbors in the region, especially Venezuela. President Hugo Chavez, a fierce U.S. critic, says the plan could trigger war in South America.
Other leaders called it worrisome. U.S. officials say the plan is just an extension of an existing agreement with Colombia.
The U.S. military has two bases in Latin America and the Caribbean from where it conducts counter drug-running surveillance: Comalapa and Aruba/ Curacao. It also has bases at Guantanamo Bay and a joint task force at Soto Cano in Honduras, in addition to providing training and intelligence back-up in Colombia.
Unlike his counterparts in several other nations in Latin America, El Salvador's Defense Minister Col. David Munguia Payes, says the country is committed to fighting drug trafficking in coordination with the United States.
"It's a commitment the country has to combat organized crime in several ways. In this case, we are also committed to the fight against drug trafficking. In that sense, a commando has been formed called commando Cuscatlan, with the participation of the civil national police, the armed forces that help coordinate a surveillance station with the Americans."
Munguia said U.S. personnel at Comalapa helped Salvadoran authorities detect illicit trafficking, adding Salvadoran authorities are in charge of making the arrests.
"The surveillance station manned by the Americans helps us to carry out those detections and we go out to intercept them by using our means with the armed forces. Eventually the civil national police also arrive to carry out arrests."
None of the missions the Heron flew resulted in a drug bust, although the UAV did investigate suspected targets such as this boat.
Information acquired during the evaluation period will help Southcom and the Defense Department make a decision on whether or not to use the Heron to support future U.S.-led counter drug operations in the region.
Southcom has been reticent to say when or if the Heron will be fully operational.
The Heron is operated from a ground control station, staffed by a pilot and two payload/sensor operators. It uses equipment that enables remote, over-the-horizon communications with the aircraft during flight operations.
The Heron was first flown in 1994 and has been operational since 2000. The Israeli-developed aircraft has accumulated more than 100,000 flight hours and there are more than 70 Heron unmanned aerial systems currently in operation worldwide.
The UAV uses cutting-edge, advanced flight, navigation and communications technology, capable of hovering and "staring", using electro-optic or infrared sensors.
Lt. Gen. Glenn F. Spears, U.S. Southern Command Deputy Commander, said the U.S. military will continue to work closely with El Salvador.
"But because the United States recognizes that it is a threat to all the region, as well as a threat to the United States, we continue to work very closely with partners in the region and in particular with our friends here in El Salvador," he said.
According to Southcom, in 2008 the Comalapa base, in coordination with El Salvador and other regional partners contributed to the seizure of 80 metric tonnes of illicit drugs. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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