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Drones reshaping Iraq's battlefields (Tom Vanden Brook, 7/07/06, USA TODAY)

The use of unmanned surveillance planes over Iraq has soared, revolutionizing the way U.S. troops wage war and crowding the skies above Iraq.

The Army says that before the Iraq war started in March 2003, it had 14 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs); it now has about 700 in Iraq and Afghanistan, most of them small.

In 2003 and 2004, the Army flew the aircraft about 1,500 hours per month, the Army says. In the past year, the aircraft flew 9,000 hours a month.

The unmanned scout planes and sensor systems have made it easier to spot insurgents and roadside bombs, thus saving American lives, Pentagon officials and experts say. Using the aircraft, troops can often get an instant picture of what lurks behind the next hill or building. "One can argue that the standard equipment for a Marine or infantryman now is the helmet, rifle, boots and UAV," says Christopher Bolkcom, a defense expert for the Congressional Research Service.

MORE:
New blow to Airbus as A350 faces delay (David Robertson, 7/07/06, Times of London)

AIRBUS may be forced to delay the launch of its £7 billion A350 project because Christian Streiff, the group’s new chief executive who has still not formally started work, needs time to approve the venture, The Times has learnt.