Security Forces airmen deployed to Southwest Asia are finding an invaluable force protection asset in the form of the diminutive Desert Hawk, a small unmanned aerial vehicle that two people launch via a bungee cord and “fly” with a laptop, reports Air Force journalist MSgt. Jason Tudor. Known formally as the Force Protection Airborne Security System, the seven-pound UAV, made of foam plastic, performs day and night local reconnaissance and surveillance missions. Each FPASS comprises six aircraft (five are backups), a ground control station, and an antenna.
The Pentagon agency charged with building and operating U.S. spy satellites recently declassified some details about a Cold War-era surveillance program called Jumpseat—a revelation it says sheds light on the importance of satellite imaging technology and how it has advanced in the decades since.
