Attack of the Drones! 63 spy-plane launch sites in 20 states

Rise of spy planes exposed after FAA forced to reveal U.S. launch sites

Source: Dateline Zero

The secret is out. There are at least 63 active drone sites around the U.S, federal authorities have been forced to reveal following a landmark Freedom of Information lawsuit. The unmanned planes — some of which have been designed to kill terror suspects — are being launched from locations in 20 states, according to the Daily Mail.

Most of the active drones are deployed from military installations, enforcement agencies and border patrol teams, according to the Federal Aviation Authority. The authority revealed the information after a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Astonishingly, 19 universities and colleges are also registered as owners of what are officially known as unmanned aerial vehicles. It could be that these institutions are using the launch sites for educational purposes. This includes Cornell, University of Colorado, Georgia Tech, and Eastern Gateway Community College.

It would make sense that universities would become active in developing drone technology — it’s apparently something of a booming business.

You can view an interactive map showing the locations of launch sites. However the FAA has declined to reveal what kinds of drones might be based at any of these locations at this time. The agency says it will release this data at some later date.

Many of the drones are likely prototypes being designed by colleges, and unarmed surveillance craft (yes, for watching you and me). The Daily Mail article points out that other drones “might include the MQ-9 Reaper and the MQ-1 Predator, which was used to kill American Al Qaeda boss Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen last September.”

Anwar al-Awlaki, as you may recall, was a U.S. citizen who had not been formally charged with anything at all. Yet he was targeted by a drone, and killed.

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Read full post at Dateline Zero