UK to increase funding to UAVs against terror

UK to increase funding to UAVs against terror

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Air Force, Army leaders discuss new UAS concept of operationsFollowing a recent spate of extremist attacks around the world, the British Prime Minister David Cameron said more money should be spent on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in the fight against ISIS and called for a defense review.

The review is due to be concluded by the end of the year and is expected to include countermeasures to deal with a more aggressive Russia and the risks posed by cyber attacks, as well as the threat from the likes of ISIS, Al Qaeda Boko Haram and other Islamist Jihad organizations.

Tornado and Reaper UAVs alone have flown over 1,000 missions and struck over 300 ISIS targets. But, the UK is also providing a support role for other countries with air-to-air refueling and other sophisticated airborne assets that play a vital role in enabling other nations to conduct strikes that they would otherwise be unable to do on their own.

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In Syria, Britain’s UAVs are limited to a surveillance role — although government ministers recently began setting out the case to extend the bombing campaign to the terror group’s strongholds in that country.

The government is to meet this week to discuss the threat posed by ISIS and is seeking support from opposition members of parliament to extend the Royal Air Force’s air campaign to strikes against ISIS targets in Syria, as well as Iraq.

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