Page 14 - September 2019
P. 14

The ground station was a “tin box” containing a TV        The contract covers two years (which would take us to the
  screen and a joystick with which it was controlled – all   planned end of the Canadian Forces' stay in Kandahar and
  mounted on the back of a truck into which were            district) plus an option to renew for a third year.
  rammed an operator, and, often, a pilot, a payload        The Noctua is smaller than the Predator B and carries no
  operator to operate the surveillance camera, intelligence
                                                            weapons, but is still quite capable, having 24-hour endurance
  officer. Given that there was no air conditioning,
                                                            and a ceiling of 30,000 feet. The sensor payload is classified,
  personnel efficiency could not be maintained – in the     but is clearly capable of listening to cellphone conversations.
  opinions of the air force personnel overseeing the
                                                            Four airframes have been leased; three for service in
  project – beyond four hours at a time.
                                                            Afghanistan and one for training in Alberta.

                                                            Impressive – but this project has not been without problems.
                                                            There exists a set of U.S. government regulations called ITARS
                                                            (for “International Traffic in Arms Regulations”) covering the
                                                            sale or transfer of technology that could conceivably be used
                                                            against the U.S. or its interests. That meant some American
                                                            technology could not be used in this Israeli system — which
                                                            the Canadian Forces planned to use in co-operation with
                                                            American forces in Afghanistan. No sensitive American
                                                            technology could be fitted on it, “which made it very
                                                            interesting in terms of communicating with the Americans, but
                                                            we got it overseas,” said March, adding that replacement
  The army looked askance at this becuase its personel      surveillance technology could only be integrated with “great
  traditionally were expected to remain alert and at their   difficulty".
  stations for 18 or 20 hours at a time; only belatedly did it   Getting spare parts was challenging, too, because Arab
  acknowledge the air force’s view.
                                                            countries maintain a commercial boycott of Israel, requiring
  With the work of the Canadian military contingent in      parts for the UAVs to be shipping from Israel to Canasta, then
  Kabul nearing its end in 2003, the Sperwers eventually    placed aboard an aircraft and sent back to a Canadian supply
  were brought home – only to be sent back over to          base before being sent to Afghanistan. It was also March’s
  Afghanistan when it was decided to send a Canadian        impression that training standards differed between Israeli
  force to Kandahar. Soon, the inadequacies of the          instructors and no standard exam or evaluation was
  Sperwer were enough that the Canadian Forces began        administered. Finally, upon its deployment to Afghanistan,
  looking for a replacement. The air force’s first choice   veteran Canadian personnel noted the Noctua’s relatively
  was the American-built General Atomics Predator B, a      small size and recommended it be preceded and followed by
  “big honkin’ airplane” with the wingspan of a Boeing 737  “chase trucks” that would keep away other vehicles. That
  and the ability to carry 2,000 lbs. of ordnance and a     suggestion was ignored and the unhappy result was that an
  sophisticated surveillance package. “It’s great – not only   American serviceman driving a pickup truck ran into a taxiing
  can you find somebody, but you can ‘reach out and         Noctua, setting back its operational use by several weeks.
  touch them’ at the same time”.
                                                            Despite all this, the Noctua system was deployed into
  There were two problems. It was, as March put it,         Afghanistan in the spring of 2008 “and has really been
  "pretty expensive”. As well, the U.S. Air Force was       instrumental in saving lives and taking the fight to the enemy,”
  buying more at that time and a potential Canadian order  March said. He added tracking a hostile foe requires much
  could not easily be fit into it. What to do? Well, another   regard for the “pattern of life” — that is, the civilians around
  producer of UAVs was Israel, which had even battle-       the target — so as to avoid casualties and bitterness against
  tested them. Moreover, the manufacturer, Israeli          the NATO forces. But when a target is identified and can be
  Aircraft Industries, was eager to please and eventually   struck, the usual prescription is an artillery strike or a pair of
  received the $95-million contract for the lease of its    500-lb bombs delivered by a NATO aircraft. “”That seems a bit
  Heron UAV, plus training and other support services. The  much, but if you’ve spent time and money tracking him, you
  project was dubbed “Noctua” (Latin for a “night owl”.     want to make sure this guy is dead — and the best way to do
                                                            that is through overkill,” he said.
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