Canada loses $2-million spy plane in Kabul crash, 2 months after previous one
at 14:03 on January 20, 2004, EST.
KABUL (CP) - One of Canada's spy planes has crashed and has gone missing in Afghanistan, almost two
months to the day after another crash that temporarily halted the unmanned surveillance aircraft, or UAV,
program.
"We don't know what happened," said Maj. Dyrald Cross. "All we know is that it crashed." That leaves the
Canadian Forces in Kabul with no more planes. They had four of them, but two others were damaged in
"hard landings." A plane that crashed on Nov. 21 was the first to be destroyed after its parachute failed to
open as the aircraft descended.
"This (latest) one, the causes are undetermined at the moment," said Cross, who is in charge of the UAV
program.
When the plane went down unexpectedly Tuesday, controllers were unable to pinpoint the crash site before
dark. A crew of soldiers deployed to search out the aircraft were also unsuccessful in locating it.
"We haven't found it yet," said Cross.
"We know roughly where it is, but it was too dark so we're waiting until (Wednesday) morning to make
sure the area is safe and have a better opportunity to find it in the daylight."
Unlike commercial or manned aircraft, the UAV contains no beacons to direct searchers to its location.
However, the software included in the machine can be tracked through a satellite-based Global Positioning
System.
"We have its last GPS reading," added Cross.
An investigation will be launched to determine why the plane's 65-horsepower Bombardier snowmobile
engine shut down unexpectedly, causing the 3½-metre-long plane to fall to the ground.
The spy planes had been used by the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force since
mid-December, when testing of the $33-million, high-reconnaissance system was completed.
The UAVs are launched by catapult from the back of a truck, and travel at 40 metres per second, capturing
video through cameras mounted in a ball on the underside of the aircraft.
There is also a forward-looking, wide-angle camera mounted in the UAV's nose from which ground "pilots"
can fly the aircraft by sight.
Built by Sagem of France, a subsidiary of Orlicon Canada, the planes were able to peer down on Kabul and
the city's surrounding mountains to provide surveillance information to soldiers on the ground.
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