A rchive Date
[ 13-03-2003 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ Iraq ]
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[http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/world/1816454
Iraq shows craft held together by duct tape
By RAJIV CHANDRASEKARAN
Washington Post
March 12, 2003, 10:49PM
AL-TAJI, Iraq - Seeking to rebut U.S. allegations that its newest and largest remote-controlled airplane can disperse chemical or biological weapons, the Iraqi government showed off the device Wednesday, revealing a makeshift contraption with wooden propellers, duct-taped wings and a dinged-up fuselage.
Perched on a work stand at a military research complex north of Baghdad, the black-and-white drone appeared to have been fashioned from cannibalized aviation parts and standard craft-shop fare. The body was built with the torpedo-shaped fuel tank from a larger plane. The wings were constructed with cloth-covered balsa wood. Patches of aluminum foil were used for reinforcement. The words "God is Great" were hand-painted in red ink on both sides.
"It's only a prototype," said the director of the drone project, Brig. Imad Abdul Latif.
Under normal circumstances, the Iraqi government would not have invited several dozen foreign journalists inside a military research facility to gawk at such an inelegant flying machine. But Wednesday, unsophistication was the point.
In a report released Monday, U.N. weapons inspectors stated that Iraq had not declared the drone as required under two separate U.N. Security Council resolutions.
The Bush administration promptly seized upon the statement to bolster its argument that Iraq has been flouting U.N. disarmament rules. John Negroponte, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, suggested that the drone could travel beyond U.N.-imposed limits, while Secretary of State Colin Powell said it can dispense biological and chemical weapons and thus "should be of concern to everybody."
Iraqi officials dismissed those comments as untrue, arguing that the drone was included in a weapons declaration submitted to the inspectors, that the aircraft's range is significantly less than the 93-mile limit and that it is not able to spread chemical or biological agents. "He's making a big mistake," Latif said of Powell. "He knows very well that this aircraft is not used for what he said."
U.N. officials acknowledged Wednesday that the drone was mentioned in a semi-annual arms declaration that Iraq submitted in January. The U.N. officials also said they were not sure whether the aircraft could exceed range restrictions or carry prohibited weapons. One official privately cast doubt on those possibilities, noting that the drone does not appear to have guidance and cargo technology sophisticated enough to do those things.
Air Force Gen. Ibrahim Hussein said the radio-controlled drone has never flown more than two miles. Although its wingspan of 24.5 feet has prompted concern that it could fly long distances, Latif said the remote-piloted aircraft could not be guided from more than five miles away and needs to be close enough to be seen by ground controllers.
Hussein said the drone was designed to be used for "reconnaissance, jamming and aerial photography."
He insisted that the Iraqi military has not considered using the device to distribute biological or chemical weapons, which Iraq claims it does not possess. "We have not even thought of this issue," he said.
 World Fact Book (CIA)]
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