Hundreds of UK drones 'missing' in Iraq and Afghanistan

Published: 13 February, 2013, 17:01
Edited: 13 February, 2013, 20:32

Britain has lost 447 of its military drones in Iraq and Afghanistan. The aircraft have crashed, broken down or gone missing during operations, adding to international outrage over civilian deaths and debate over the safety of their use in Britain.

The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) has reported that the loss of 447 unmanned drones was due to technical faults, controller error or not wanting to remove them from volatile enemy areas, according to the Guardian newspaper.

Small handheld devices, large UAVs, and a missile-carrying drone were all lost in the last five years.

Many have not been replaced and are lost for good, costing the UK millions. An MOD official stated that no deaths or injuries have resulted from the drone losses. However, the smaller drones which are more liable to crashing are similar to those which may be introduced into UK airspace, prompting safety concerns alongside existing fears of privacy violations.

The contentious issue of continued drone usage by Western forces sparked an outcry from a UK watchdog.“The drone industry constantly talks up the supposed economic benefits of unmanned drones, but it is the civil liberties and safety implications that need real attention,”Chris Cole, founder of watchdog website Drone Wars UK told the Guardian.

The overall number of civilian deaths caused by drone strikes abroad has been difficult to confirm. However, estimates by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism reported 2,562 to 3,325 deaths from drone strikes in Pakistan, including 474 to 881 civilian deaths.

Drone strikes were responsible for the deaths of 531 to 779 people, with a civilian casualty rate between 4 percent and 8.5 percent as of June 2012, according to a report by the New America Foundation. Both statistics were laid out in a 2012 report by the Human Rights Clinic at Columbia Law School and the Center for Civilians in Conflict.

FULL STORY: http://rt.com/news/military-drones-lost-uk-080/