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Half of Predators fielded have been lost

The Air Force has lost to combat action and accidents more than half the 90 Predators it has so far received, while some smaller UAVs have crashed after colliding in midair with helicopters, according to testimony before a House Appropriations defense subcommittee.

The midair accidents, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley told congressmen Feb. 12, require “a refocus on who controls UAVs above about 3,500” feet. Moseley said it should be an Air Force job.

During the hearing on the Air Force fiscal 2007 supplemental budget, Moseley said money was being put into the supplemental to replace nearly 50 Predators.

“You lose [Predators] by being shot down,” a transcript of the hearing quotes Moseley as saying. “You lose them by training. You lose them by hitting the ground. You run them out of gas. There’s a variety of reasons for losing them. But we’ve lost about 48 or 49 out of 90.”

The most recent Predator loss occurred Friday, apparently because of mechanical issues, Air Force officials said. The aircraft went down in a remote area about 60 miles northeast of Jalalabad, Afghanistan. The incident is under investigation.

Moseley also said the Air Force has lost two Global Hawks in Afghanistan — one from an engine problem and the other a flight control problem. Both planes were deployed to Afghanistan during the test phase of the program because they had the sensor capabilities the service required, Moseley said.

Another two Global Hawks have since deployed, he said, “and we’re about to deploy one or two more because the airplane’s working like a champ.”

Moseley also said that on any given day in theater there are 600 to 700 unmanned aerial vehicles in the sky that are operated by the Army and other agencies, including some that fly in the airspace used by manned aircraft.

Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-N.J., said there have been incidents of some of the smaller UAVs actually hitting helicopters.

“It’s not good to hit one of those at 2 or 3 in the morning when you’re doing about 500 knots,” Moseley said.