Think missile defense and secure borders is an answer to the mullahs? Guess again, tootsie

Terrorists' Unmanned Air Force

Here's the bottom line .. that thing to the right, a model airplane flies 1880 miles to a GPS defined target controlled by a bunch of old farts playing with model airplanes, and it's invisible to radar ..oh and by the way, it (the TAM-5) is now a museum piece technologically.

Can anyone say Mohammed Atta?

Building a ballistic missile is a big deal. They take a lot of development – it really is rocket science – which is expensive and hard to keep secret. At best, you’ll end up with something like a Scud missile with a range of a few hundred miles and limited accuracy. You would not be able to aim at an individual building.

Unmanned air vehicles are another matter. They are small, cheap and you could buy one tomorrow. Short-range versions with video cameras are common, but thanks to GPS and Google Earth you can also put one to within a few yards of your aim point from long range. Very long range – in 2003 a TAM-5 UAV with a six-foot wingspan was flown over 1880 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. One scenario features a mass drone attack launched from a tanker or freighter well out in international waters.

Eugene Miasnikov of the Center for Arms Control, Energy and Environmental Studies at MIPT, calls the UAV a suicide bomber on steroids

Are you making the jump to the next level here, strategically?

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