Using UAS to locate and identify chemicals used as weapons

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The Israel defense forces (IDF) home front command is evaluating the use of unmanned air systems (UAS)  to detect and identify chemicals used in weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

The command is using mobile and hand held sensors to identify the chemicals that may spread after a ballistic missile armed with a WMD warhead, hits a populated area.

The use of UAS is evaluated to try and expedite the identification of the chemicals and the spread and movement of the substances in the air.

The home front command will evaluate some types of UAS for the mission. These will be the ones that are operated by soldiers or “over the hill ” missions .

Israel has been worried about the chemical warfare stockpiles in Syria since the first signs of the regime losing control became obvious.

According to some sources a portion of Syria’s large stockpile of chemical warfare agents have been removed from holding sites, raising fears in the United States that the Assad government might be prepared to unleash the materials on opposition fighters or others.

The regime is believed to hold hundreds of tons of blister and nerve agents stored at multiple locations, along with missiles and other means of delivering the materials. Syria is not a member state to the Chemical Weapons Convention and has never publicly declared holding such armaments.

Illustration Pictures with courtesy of IDF’s spokesman unit