http://www.dsti.com.cn/index.asp?modelname=gjfw%5Cgjfw%5Fdetail&FractionNo=&titleno=GJFWKX&recno=47490
美國CSBA全力挽救UCAS-D項目
（2008年06月25日）

[據英國《飛行國際》2008年6月23日報導] 美國一家國防政策機構近期警告說，由於美國海軍自身原因和預算壓力兩方面的因素，使研發新型艦載無人隱身作戰飛機的計畫受到了威脅。不僅如此，這家稱作“戰略與預算評估中心”(Centre for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, CSBA)的美國國防政策機構還將諾斯羅普•格魯門公司為軍方研發X-47B“無人空戰系統驗證機”（unmanned combat air system demonstrator，UCAS-D）項目所面臨的危機看作是關係到國家安全政策的潛在重大失誤。

      據CSBA的資深分析家Tom Ehrhard最近透露，儘管美國海軍已於去年8月啟動了為期6年的UCAS-D項目，但CSBA的分析家們認為海軍官員取消該專案下一年預算經費的概率超過了50%。他聲稱，該項目的反對主要來自于海軍現役飛行員，同時軍方的航空武器預算經費也面臨著來自新型無人機專案的壓力。但Ehrhard相信，保留UCAS-D專案（X-47B）對於研發未來的艦載無人作戰飛機來說是絕對必要的，目前進行的試飛驗證也將有助於打消美國海軍航空兵的心理障礙。

      目前有兩架UCAS-D無人機正在製造中，其中第一架已經完工65%，按計劃將於2009年末在加利福尼亞州的Edwards空軍基地試飛，在該項目基礎上將為美國海軍研製下一代“海軍無人空戰系統”（N-UCAS）。

      N-UCAS專案主管Martin Deppe海軍上校表示，通過N-UCAS專案將為新型艦載無人作戰飛機開發一系列相關技術，今後將研製一種具備空中加油能力的遠端無人艦載機從而為航空母艦提供更強大的防區外攻擊能力，並增強海軍的前沿部署和持續作戰能力。他還透露該專案正按預訂計畫執行中。

      N-UCAS項目在今年7月2日將進行一次臨時項目評審，以幫助國防部辦公室人員瞭解該專案的最新進展情況。目前美國海軍正在尋求在2009財年期間為UCAS-D專案申請大約2.76億美元的經費，從而使該專案2007∼2013財年期間經費申請總額達到15億美元左右。（中國航空工業發展研究中心  陳黎）

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/06/23/224792/us-policy-group-rallies-to-save-navys-ucas-d-programme.html
US policy group rallies to save Navy's UCAS-D programme
By Stephen Trimble

DATE:23/06/08
SOURCE:Flight International

A defence policy group has warned that the US Navy’s institutional reluctance and budgetary pressures are combining to threaten the future of unmanned, stealthy aircraft operating from its aircraft carriers.

Moreover, the Centre for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) views an emerging crisis facing the service’s Northrop Grumman X-47B unmanned combat air system demonstrator (UCAS-D) programme as a potentially critical blunder for national security policy.

The USN launched the six-year UCAS-D programme last August, but CSBA analysts think the odds that navy officials will cancel the effort in next year’s budget are “more than 50:50”, says senior fellow Tom Ehrhard. Opposition comes principally from active duty naval aviators, he says, while the service’s aviation budget also faces pressure from new manned aircraft programmes.

Ehrhard believes preserving the UCAS-D programme (X-47B pictured, below) is “absolutely critical” to the future of carrier-based, unmanned strike aircraft, and says the demonstration also may help break down naval aviation’s “psychological barrier”.

Bob Work, the CSBA’s vice-president of strategic studies, adds of a potential cancellation: “It’d be like a submariner saying: we really don’t get that nuke-powered stuff.”

Two UCAS-Ds are now in manufacturing, with the first of these 65% complete and scheduled to fly at Edwards AFB, California in late 2009. The programme is expected to be the precursor for a next-generation combat aircraft called the navy-unmanned combat air system (N-UCAS).

“The N-UCAS programme is developing technologies leading to an unmanned longer-range carrier-based aircraft capable of being air-refuelled to provide greater [aircraft carrier] stand-off capability, to expand payload and launch options, and to increase naval reach and persistence,” says programme manager Capt Martin Deppe. The programme is “executing as planned”, he adds.

An interim programme review will be held on 2 July to update staff from the Office of the Secretary of Defense on progresss to date. The navy is seeking almost $276 million for the UCAS-D project during fiscal year 2009, bringing its total requested funding for the FY2007-13 period to roughly $1.5 billion.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/02/deal-lets-us-drones-strike-bin-laden/?page=1
Deal lets U.S. drones strike bin Laden
Musharraf agreement limits Pentagon

Rowan Scarborough (Contact)
Wednesday, July 2, 2008

EXCLUSIVE:
The United States has a standing agreement with Pakistan that CIA-operated Predator drones may strike Osama bin Laden's hide-out without prior permission from Islamabad, according to people familiar with the arrangement.

One source said the free hand - an exception in a country politically sensitive to U.S. counterterrorism operations - was granted by President Pervez Musharraf early in the war if the U.S. locates bin Laden in Pakistan's rugged tribal areas, where he is thought to be hiding.

A knowledgeable official disclosed the arrangement to The Washington Times at a time of growing frustration in the Pentagon and in the CIA that bin Laden remains at large seven years into the war and as President Bush's term approaches an end.

That fact has put renewed focus on the Pakistani government's restraints on the U.S. effort to find bin Laden. Pakistan prohibits American military ground forces on its soil, limiting the U.S. presence to scores of CIA officers and paramilitary operators.

Nadeem Kiani, spokesman at the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, declined to comment on the purported bin Laden deal but said Pakistan stands ready to move against bin Laden if he is inside the country.

Pakistan allowed the CIA to secretly launch missile-equipped Predators from its soil into Afghanistan during the war to oust the Taliban. It has continued to let the agency fly the unmanned surveillance planes over Pakistan.

But earlier this year, Mr. Musharraf rejected a Bush administration request to allow more CIA personnel into his country. Washington must coordinate planned strikes on militants in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) where bin Laden is thought to be hiding. Bin Laden as a target is an exception to that rule.

"What I can tell you is that the president has a strong, overarching commitment to make sure that we track down and bring to justice Osama bin Laden and other top members of al Qaeda," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters Monday.
 
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOGRAPHS MISSION-READY: A missile-equipped Predator would be dispatched to kill the al Qaeda leader if his location is pinpointed. The drone could be redirected in flight.

The arrangement with Pakistan was confirmed by a second source - a former U.S. intelligence officer who spent time in Afghanistan.

A CIA spokesman declined to comment.

Pakistan's sovereignty has been an issue in the presidential campaign. Sen. Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee, said at one point that he would unleash strikes into Pakistan without Islamabad's approval to hit bin Laden and other al Qaeda leaders.

The U.S. has options for sending special operations teams into Pakistan if bin Laden's exact location is determined, but military officials said it would be the Predator, not boots on the ground, that would be dispatched to kill the al Qaeda leader.

This is because a Predator could be airborne - or redirected in flight - in a matter of minutes. In contrast, special operations forces in Afghanistan would have to be assembled, briefed on the mission and then dispatched by helicopter - a time-consuming and risky process.

By not requesting Pakistan's approval first, the U.S. would avoid the risk of breaching operational security. Washington still harbors suspicions about Pakistan's Inter-Service Intelligence agency (ISI), which helped establish pro-al Qaeda Taliban rule in Afghanistan.

It is one thing to have Pakistan's permission to shoot bin Laden on sight. It is another to find him.

"It's a needle in a haystack," said one intelligence official.

For nearly seven years, since his escape from Afghanistan's Tora Bora mountain region, bin Laden has evaded capture.

The reasons given by intelligence officials: He stopped communicating on radios and telephones to avoid being intercepted by the National Security Agency; he is protected by militant leaders whose tribes have been infiltrated by al Qaeda operatives who impose a no-talk discipline; the CIA has been unable to penetrate this tribal ring of security to find a spy who might disclose his location; and bin Laden moves frequently amid the FATA's vast, rugged terrain.
 
'NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK': Osama bin Laden has evaded capture for nearly seven years.

"I would say to you in the last seven years there has been a lot of success in terms of finding that second- and third-level al Qaeda guy," Mrs. Perino said. "And we have been able to prevent attacks so far. But one of the things that we're up against is that we have a very determined enemy. They hide in caves, they respect no uniform, they are in a very treacherous geographic area that's very hard to get into."

The NSA installed a network of electronic boxes in the Afghan mountains to absorb communications from the FATA. The chatter has helped the CIA identify militant hide-outs and training bases, but the network has not picked up bin Laden's voice.

The military's chief terrorist hunting unit is Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), a mix of Army Delta Force, Navy SEALs and a special intelligence unit known as Task Force Orange.

An intelligence source said most JSOC assets are committed to Iraq to hunt a list of high-value targets within the al Qaeda in Iraq organization. At one point last year, the JSOC contingent in Afghanistan was down to just 30 SEALs.

The U.S. Special Operations Command, which oversees the JSOC, does not discuss the unit´s numbers.

http://news.yam.com/afp/international/200807/20080703339385.html
傳巴國同意美軍無人飛機攻擊賓拉登先斬後奏
法新社╱張佑之 2008-07-03 00:20     
 
 
（法新社華盛頓二日電）「華盛頓時報」今天報導，巴基斯坦早已授權美國，一旦發現恐怖組織首腦歐薩瑪．賓拉登身在巴國部落地區，可立即出動「掠奪者式」無人飛機加以攻擊，而無須先行通知巴國。

時報引述「一名知情官員」的話說，巴國總統穆夏拉夫在對蓋達組織作戰「初期」，即在對美國於巴國境內的反恐作戰行動施加其他限制之餘，開放了這個例外。反蓋達之戰二零零一年十月在阿富汗展開。

時報指出，即使外界普遍認為，賓拉登藏身在巴國地形崎嶇的部落區，但巴國當局並未允許美軍地面部隊開入境內，同時將美國派駐巴國人員限定在「許多」中央情報局和準軍事單位的幹員。

時報說，巴國今年稍早還拒絕了美國總統布希有關增派中情局人員的要求。

但美國軍事官員認為，如果能確定賓拉登的下落，則配備有飛彈的掠奪者式無人機可在「數分鐘之內」升空，也可在飛行中轉向。

時報說，相較下，若出動特種部隊則須先集合、聽取簡報、然後搭乘直昇機前往相關地點，而此過程費時且危險。

http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/p/2008-06-24/0903506705.html
美海軍稱未來無人F/A-XX攻擊機明顯優於有人機
http://www.sina.com.cn 2008年06月24日 09:03 中國航空信息網

　　據英國《飛行國際》2008年6月19日報導 美國海軍波音F/A-18"大黃蜂"替換機F/A-XX是否為有人機權衡研究已得出結論，無人機在某些情境下的飛行時間可能是有人系統的20倍。

　　該項研究的細節在加州聖地牙哥舉行的無人機系統國際協會2008北美論壇上公佈。今年1月美國海軍發佈了海軍航空構想檔，檔中稱，海軍無人空戰系統在2025年形成初始作戰能力，將成為未來攻擊機平臺(F/A-XX)。

　　為開展作戰能力研究，美國海軍對離岸925千米"安全線"的一個航母群進行了測試，計算有人機和無人機系統能在距離艦隊925千米、1380千米和1850千米處巡航的時間。有尾構型的有人機只能在1380千米距離處巡航30分鐘，而無尾無人機可以巡航20.5小時。在1850千米處有人機留空時間為零。

　　美國海軍權衡研究主要考慮了2類有人和無人機構型：一類是具有全新機身、機翼和尾部的構型，另一種是與無尾的諾斯羅普•格魯門X-47B無人空戰系統驗證機類似的飛行器。

　　假設2類飛行器具有相同的850千米/小時巡航速度，有尾飛行器的不加油航程為3330千米，無尾佈局構型不加油航程為5550千米，駕駛員的表現成為有人機的限制，其最大任務續航時間為10小時，而加油後的無人機可達到50小時。(吳蔚 責編薑)

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/06/19/224793/us-navy-weighs-mannedunmanned-debate-in-fa-xx-planning.html
US Navy weighs manned/unmanned debate in F/A-XX planning
By Rob Coppinger

DATE:19/06/08
SOURCE:Flight International

The US Navy's trade studies on whether its Boeing F/A-18 Hornet replacement, the F/A-XX, should be piloted have concluded that unmanned air vehicles could operate for 20 times longer than manned systems in some circumstances.

The studies' details were revealed at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International North America 2008 symposium in San Diego, California, and follow January's publication of the USN's Naval Aviation Vision document, which said: "With an [initial operating capability] of 2025, [the navy-unmanned combat air system] is envisioned to be the strike fighter recapitalisation platform [F/A-XX]".

Studying operational capabilities, the USN examined an aircraft carrier group operating at an air tanker "safety line" of 925km (500nm) from the shore.

Calculating how long manned and unmanned systems could loiter at 925km from the fleet, 1,380km and 1,850km, a tailed manned aircraft could only last for 30min at the middle distance, while a tail-less UAV could stay for 20.5h. At 1,850km manned vehicles had zero loiter time.

Speaking at the AUVSI event, US Naval Air Systems Command programme executive officer Gary Kessler said: "Manned endurance estimates [are] conservatively high, while [the] unmanned endurance estimate is conservatively low."

The USN trades examined two broad manned and unmanned configurations: one with a new fuselage, wing and tail and a tail-less Northrop Grumman X-47B unmanned combat air system demonstrator-like vehicle.

Assuming both had the same 460kt (850km/h) cruise speed and unrefuelled ranges of 3,330km for a vehicle with a tail and 5,550km for the tail-less version, pilot performance was the manned system's limitation, giving a maximum mission endurance of 10h, while the UAV, with refuelling, could achieve 50h.

http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/2008-06-19/1032505977.html
美國首架無人空戰系統驗證機擬於09年4季度首飛
http://www.sina.com.cn 2008年06月19日 10:32 中國航空信息網

　　據英國《飛行國際》2008年6月16日報導 諾斯羅普•格魯門公司研製的首架X-47B無人空戰系統驗證機(unmanned combat air system demonstrator，UCAS-D)按計劃將於2009年第四季度首飛，第二架驗證機也將在隨後的一年內首飛。

　　目前首架UCAS-D飛機的子系統正在安裝之中，第二架飛機的開工還有待於2009財年的資金得到落實(預計將於今年10月1日到位)。按計劃，首架X-47B將於2011年在一艘沒透露名字的航空母艦上進行測試，後續飛行測試將安排在馬里蘭州的美國海軍Paxtuent River基地進行。剛開始測試時，驗證機將在距離航空母艦400米以外進行著艦進場飛行操練，待有充分的信心後再進行著艦試驗。驗證機在航空母艦甲板上進行測試期間將通過人工遙控進行引導。被選中進行試驗的航空母艦將在2009年中期根據另外一份單獨的合同安裝通信設備。

　　諾•格公司UCAS-D項目主管Scott Winship在聖迭哥舉行的無人系統國際聯合會北美2008年會(Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International North America 2008)期間曾向外界表示，諾•格公司在研發UCAS-D時主要面臨三項關鍵技術，分別是自動空中加油、任務管理和低可探測性，用於該機的低可探測性材料還必須能經受住海上鹽霧環境的侵蝕。Winship還透露，今後諾•格公司還將研製X-47B的一系列改型，並在2011年∼2025年間進行測試。(陳黎 責編薑)

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/06/16/224655/first-ucas-d-demonstrator-to-fly-in-fourth-quarter-2009.html
First UCAS-D demonstrator to fly in fourth quarter 2009
By Rob Coppinger

DATE:16/06/08
SOURCE:Flight International

The first flight of the Northrop Grumman X-47B unmanned combat air system demonstrator (UCAS-D) ship one is planned for the fourth quarter of 2009, with an identical second example to fly a year later.

The first ship's subsystems are being installed, and the start of construction for the second is awaiting fiscal year 2009 funding, with funds expected to be released on 1 October.

The first X-47B is planned to be tested with a yet-to-be-named US Navy aircraft carrier in late 2011, following flight testing at the service's Paxtuent River facility in Maryland. The demonstrator will initially operate outside the carrier's 400m (1,310ft) limit for landing approaches, but once confidence has been built, will be brought in to land. Once the demonstrator is on the deck the expected guidance technology will be manually operated remote control. The selected carrier will have some communications equipment installed in mid-2009 under a separate contract.

"The three critical enabllng technologies we have to develop [for the long-term deployment] are the automatic refuelling, mission management and the low observable [material]," Northrop's UCAS-D programme manager Scott Winship said during the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International North America 2008 convention in San Diego, California. The low observable materials will have to be resistant to the salt water environment.

Winship expects a number of X-47B variants to be tested between the first carrier test in 2011 and the planned roadmap deployment of a UCAS-D-type capability in 2025, "like the YF-22 programme".

http://www.dsti.com.cn/index.asp?modelname=gjfw%5Cgjfw%5Fdetail&FractionNo=&titleno=GJFWKX&recno=46853
澳大利亞將波音主導的無人機項目列入“問題項目”名單
（2008年05月27日）

[據英國《飛行國際》2008年5月23日報導] 澳大利亞政府已將波音澳大利亞公司/以色列航宇工業公司（IAI）的I-View 250戰術無人機列入其“問題專案”名單，該專案在執行兩年後開始浮現危機。

      澳大利亞於2006年下半年為其軍隊定購了I-View 250無人機，作為主承包商的波音澳大利亞公司負責提供專案管理、系統工程和在役支援。將於2009年下半年交付的兩套戰術無人機系統每套包括4架無人機、地面控制站及支援設備，還將提供額外的4架無人機作為備份。

      項目包括對標準的250kg I-View設計的大量改進，包括綜合進一套光電/紅外/鐳射目標指示裝置。基準型無人機使用一套彈射起飛裝置和翼傘著陸系統，續航時間可達6到8小時。

      澳大利亞負責國防採辦的議會秘書Greg Combet表示戰術無人機（TUAV）專案是最近被列入政府的防務問題項目名單的，名單上還包括被波音拖延的737“楔尾”空中早期預警與控制系統飛機和澳大利亞航宇公司交付的歐直公司“虎”式武裝偵察直升機。

      來自以色列的消息稱I-View的問題出現在波音澳大利亞公司的負責範圍內，集中在專案管理方面，國防部也同意這一觀點。消息稱：“雖然是以IAI公司的戰術無人機系列為基礎，但波音公司似乎並沒有完全領會I-View 250的研發狀況，還需要繼續工作使無人機適應澳大利亞軍隊的需求”。

      澳大利亞國防部表示交付計畫從合同開始就不斷延後，目前看起來I-View的初始作戰能力至少要到2011年底才能夠形成。波音澳大利亞公司則表示：“我們正面臨一些挑戰，但仍然保持與澳大利亞方面一起工作以按照協議規定的時間節點交付期望的戰術無人機能力”。國防部要求波音澳大利亞公司在6月底前要正式提交計畫進度表，並表示：“儘管國防部相信波音及其主要的子承包商能夠交付合同所需的系統，但對合同規定的時間表有較大彌補的希望很小”。（中國航空工業發展研究中心  晏武英）

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/05/23/224063/australia-places-boeing-led-uav-project-on-danger-list.html
Australia places Boeing-led UAV project on danger list
By Emma Kelly

DATE:23/05/08
SOURCE:Flight International

The Australian government has added the Boeing Australia/Israel Aerospace Industries I-View 250 tactical unmanned air vehicle to its list of "projects of concern", after it emerged that the programme is running two years late.

Australia ordered the I-View 250 for its army in late 2006, with prime contractor Boeing Australia to provide project management, systems engineering and in-service support. Two TUAV systems, each comprising four air vehicles, ground control stations and support equipment, were to be delivered by late 2009, with a further four UAVs to be provided as spares.

The programme involves substantial modifications to the standard 250kg (550lb) I-View design, including the integration of an electro-optical/infrared/laser target designator payload. Using a catapult launcher and parafoil landing system, the baseline UAV has an endurance of 6-8h.

Greg Combet, parliamentary secretary for defence procurement, says the TUAV project recently made the government's defence projects-of-concern list, which also includes Boeing's delayed 737 Wedgetail airborne early warning and control system aircraft and the Australian Aerospace-delivered Eurocopter Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopter.

Israeli sources say the I-View problems are within Boeing Australia's territory and focus on programme management a view shared by the Department of Defence. "Although based on a family of IAI TUAVs, Boeing appears not to have properly appreciated the developmental status of the I-View 250, or the effort needed to adapt it to meet Australian Army requirements," it says.

The schedule for delivery has been steadily slipping since contract award and initial I-View capability is now not expected until the end of 2011, the DoD says.

"We have faced some challenges, but remain committed to working with the Commonwealth of Australia to deliver the desired TUAV capability within the agreed timeframe," says Boeing Australia.

The company has been given until the end of June to formalise its planned schedule, says the DoD. "While Defence is confident that Boeing and its principal subcontractor can deliver the systems required by the contract, there is little prospect the contracted schedule can be significantly recovered," it adds.

http://news.yam.com/afp/international/200805/20080528618691.html
擊落無人偵察機 喬治亞要求俄羅斯道歉賠償
法新社╱樊劍萍 2008-05-28 00:20     
 
 
（法新社特比利西二十七日電）喬治亞外交部今天發表聲明，要求俄羅斯對上個月擊落喬治亞一架無人偵察機事件道歉並賠償。

聯合國昨天發表的報告聲援喬治亞的主張，即俄羅斯噴射機上個月在分離份子控制的阿柏克茲亞地區上空擊落喬治亞一架無人偵察機，違反停火協定。

聲明說，喬治亞「明確要求俄羅斯聯邦為此針對喬治亞的侵略行為正式道歉，並保證作出適當賠償。」

聲明同時要求組成一個國際調查團，前往阿柏克茲亞的古道塔軍事基地進行調查，聯合國在報告中指稱俄羅斯噴射機可能是從該軍事基地起飛。

在一九九零年代初期與特比利西爆發戰爭後，阿柏克茲亞事實上已經獨立，儘管喬治亞反對，可是阿柏克茲亞仍然獲得俄羅斯在外交與經濟上的支持。

莫斯科當局上個月決定加強與阿柏克茲亞的關係後，俄羅斯與喬治亞之間的緊張關係急劇昇高。

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080526/wl_afp/georgiarussiaunmilitaryconflictabkhazia_080526192457
UN concludes Russia shot down Georgian spy plane

by Michael Mainville
Mon May 26, 3:24 PM ET

TBILISI (AFP) - The UN concluded in a report Monday that a Russian fighter jet shot down an unmanned Georgian spy plane last month, prompting the EU to call on Moscow and Tbilisi to "explain themselves."
 
The report, posted on the UN website, said evidence gathered by UN monitors "leads to the conclusion that the aircraft belonged to the Russian air force" and that the downing was "fundamentally inconsistent" with ceasefire accords.

Russia's defence ministry rejected the findings, with spokesman Alexander Drobyshevsky telling AFP: "We deny this report. Our planes did not violate anyone's airspace and therefore could not have fired a shot."

The incident is one of the most serious in the volatile region since the end of a military conflict in 1993 between Georgian troops and Moscow-backed separatist rebels in the Georgian breakaway province of Abkhazia.

The European Union's Slovenian presidency said the UN report was "balanced" because it criticised Russia as well as Georgia for deploying the spy plane in the area in violation of a ceasefire agreement.

"It's a balanced report," Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel told reporters in Brussels after chairing a meeting of his EU counterparts.

"We think that those who have been found responsible should explain themselves," Rupel said.

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said the report vindicated Tbilisi's claims that the Russian military has been violating its sovereignty.

"Georgia today is in a very difficult situation because foreign armed forces have entered its territory," he said in televised remarks.

"The UN has released a report in which Russia is directly accused of aggression against Georgia.... For the first time, the UN has directly, unequivocally pointed the finger at Russia."

Russia, which backs the Abkhaz rebels in the lush Black Sea province, has denied violating Georgian airspace and says that Abkhaz forces shot down the Georgian drone on April 20 -- a claim supported by Abkhaz officials.

But the report, obtained by AFP ahead of its release by the UN, stated that a MiG-29 or Su-27 warplane was used in the incident and that the aircraft then "turned back north heading... into Russian airspace."

The text was highly critical of the drone shooting, saying it violated a ceasefire agreement between Georgian forces and Abkhaz rebels -- and called into question the separation of Russian peacekeepers from the conflict.

The UN mission "considers that enforcement action by third parties -- in this case the Russian Federation -- is fundamentally inconsistent with the Moscow agreement and, aside from possible considerations under international law, undercuts the ceasefire and separation of forces regime," the report said.

The report also indicated that the incident may have posed a threat to civilian aircraft.

"The interception took place very close to, or even inside, an international airway at a time (when) civilian aircraft were flying," it said.

Analysts said the report could give a major boost to Georgian efforts to replace Russian peacekeepers in Abkhazia, whom Tbilisi accuses of siding with the rebels, with an international force.

"This is going to have a huge impact," said Tornike Sharashenidze, a Tbilisi-based analyst.

"Now Georgia has a report from a neutral body on the Russian militarisation of Abkhazia. Georgia will be able to count on much stronger support, not only from America, but from Europe," he said.

The text said its conclusions were based on analysis of witness statements, radar records and video taken by the Georgian drone that filmed itself under attack at close range by a warplane.

The drone footage had not been doctored in any way, the UN report said.

Tense relations between Russia and Georgia, whose pro-Western leadership is pushing for entry into NATO, have flared up repeatedly over the last month in Abkhazia.

Georgian officials warned that the two countries had come close to war and Russia announced it was sending reinforcements to a Russian troop contingent deployed in Abkhazia as peacekeepers.

But Russian President Dmitry Medvedev appeared to strike a more conciliatory tone on Monday in a message to Saakashvili congratulating him on Georgia's independence day.

Medvedev said he hoped for "constructive" cooperation with Georgia, promoting "good neighbourly relations" and "fostering stability and security in the Caucasus," the Kremlin said in a statement.

http://news.yam.com/rusnews/international/200805/20080527614946.html
格要求俄對擊落無人駕駛偵察機一事道歉並賠償
俄新網╱俄新網 2008-05-27 18:13     
 
 
俄新網RUSNEWS.CN第比利斯5月27日電 格魯吉亞外交部就4月20日該國一架無人駕駛偵察機被擊落一事要求俄羅斯正式道歉並賠償損失。格魯吉亞外交部副部長格里戈爾·瓦沙澤向記者表示，這一要求的照會27日已轉交給俄羅斯駐第比利斯大使維亞切斯拉夫·科瓦連科。瓦沙澤指出，格魯吉亞還要求撤走增派到阿布哈茲的維和部隊和取消俄羅斯總統4月16日關于該國與阿布哈茲特別關系的命令。

http://en.rian.ru/world/20080527/108565456.html
Georgia demands compensation from Russia for drone incident
15:35 | 27/ 05/ 2008

TBILISI, May 27 (RIA Novosti) - The Georgian Foreign Ministry demanded Tuesday that Russia give an official apology and pay compensation following the alleged shooting down of an unmanned reconnaissance drone by a Russian aircraft in April.

A UN report published on Monday, based on video footage and radar records, confirmed Georgia's earlier claims that on April 20 the Russian Air Force shot down a Georgian drone over the Georgian breakaway region of Abkhazia. Russia's Defense Ministry has dismissed the report.

Russian Ambassador to Georgia Vyacheslav Kovalenko was summoned to the country's Foreign Ministry over the incident and handed an official protest note.

"All collated evidence confirms that Moscow has committed an act of aggression against Georgia and violated fundamental international laws," Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze told a news conference after the meeting with Kovalenko.

He said Tbilisi is also demanding the withdrawal of additional peacekeepers deployed by Russia in the breakaway republic of Abkhazia and the annulment of former-president Vladimir Putin's decree issued on April 16 on closer ties with Abkhazia.

In response, the Russian ambassador said he was not questioning the professionalism of the UN experts, but doubted "the authenticity of the evidence they have been working with."

Relations between Russia and Georgia have been consistently strained since President Mikheil Saakashvili came to power in Georgia four years ago, with both sides being involved in numerous disputes, most recently over Russia's moves to develop closer ties with Georgia's two breakaway regions.

Bilateral relations saw a new low in April when then president Vladimir Putin instructed the government to establish closer ties with Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Georgia accused Russia of trying to annex the provinces, while Russian officials said Tbilisi was planning to invade Abkhazia.

The pro-Western Georgian leadership's plans to join NATO, and a series of economic embargos imposed on Georgia by Russia in 2006 have also presented major setbacks in ties between the countries in recent years.

http://news.yam.com/rusnews/international/200805/20080527598085.html
俄國防部駁斥聯合國觀察員團對擊落格偵察機的指控
俄新網╱俄新網 2008-05-26 21:42    
 
 
俄新網RUSNEWS.CN莫斯科5月26日電 俄羅斯聯邦國防部新聞局新聞處處長亞歷山大·德羅貝舍夫上校26日向俄新社記者表示，聯合國在格魯吉亞-阿布哈茲衝突地區的觀察員團稱，俄空軍一架飛機侵犯格魯吉亞領空並擊落其無人駕駛偵察機。對此，俄羅斯國防部堅決予以駁斥。聯合國在格魯吉亞-阿布哈茲衝突地區的觀察員團代表証實，俄羅斯軍用飛機于4月20日擊落格魯吉亞一架無人駕駛偵察機。德羅貝舍夫上校指出："根本談不上對格魯吉亞領空的任何侵犯，其無人駕駛偵察飛機更不可能是被俄方飛機擊落。"他解釋說，"4月20日俄空軍飛機沒有在格魯吉亞領空附近飛行"。

http://en.rian.ru/world/20080526/108456426.html
Georgia says UN report shows Russia guilty of aggression
17:13 | 26/ 05/ 2008

TBILISI, May 26 (RIA Novosti) - Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said on Monday that a UN report saying Russia shot down a Georgian reconnaissance plane in a rebel region last month shows Moscow has committed an act of aggression.

The United Nations report released on Monday, based on video footage and radar records, confirmed Georgia's earlier claims that on April 20 the Russian Air Force shot down a Georgian drone over Abkhazia. Russia's Defense Ministry has rejected the report.

Saakashvili said: "Today Georgia is in a complicated situation, because the army of a foreign state that we did not invite, and that we do not accept here at all, entered Georgia's territory. Yesterday the UN published a conclusion directly accusing the Russian Federation of an act of aggression against Georgia."

"It was confirmed that a Russian plane bombed Georgian territory. This is the first case when an international organization... has directly pointed at the Russian Federation over these actions," he told reporters in Tbilisi.

Authorities in the breakaway republic of Abkhazia say they have downed seven Georgian drones since March, but Tbilisi has officially confirmed the destruction of only one of them, on April 20.

In response to the UN report, Abkhaz Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba told RIA Novosti that the province could pull out of UN-brokered peace talks with Georgia.

Colonel Alexander Drobyshevsky, the head of the Russian Defense Ministry's press service, said: "No violation of the state border with Georgia, let alone the downing of an unmanned reconnaissance plane, took place."

He said Russian Air Force planes did not approach the Georgian border on April 20.

Relations between Russia and Georgia have been consistently strained since Saakashvili came to power in Georgia four years ago, being damaged by numerous disputes, most recently over Russia's moves to develop closer ties with Georgia's two breakaway regions.

Bilateral relations saw a new low in April when then president Vladimir Putin instructed the government to establish closer ties with Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Georgia accuses Russia of trying to annex the provinces, while Russian officials have said Tbilisi plans to invade Abkhazia.

The pro-Western Georgian leadership's plans to join NATO, and a series of blockade measures imposed on Georgia by Russia in 2006 have also presented major setbacks in ties between the countries in recent years.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-05/23/content_8237506.htm
澳測試無人偵察機

2008年05月23日 19:08:41 　來源：新華網

澳大利亞政府２３日說，澳邊防部門正在測試一種無人偵察機，以應對包括非法移民在內的海上威脅，保障澳海域安全。

法新社報道，接受測試的“蒼鷺”（Heron）型無人偵察機長８.５米，翼展１６.６米，最大飛行距離超過１８００公裡。“蒼鷺”由以色列航空航天工業公司研制生產。

澳內政部長鮑勃﹒德布斯說，測試為期６周，主要測試這種飛機的民用海上監測能力。

“無人機噪音小，基本無法被探測，一次可對目標區域或船只實施數小時監測，”德布斯在一份聲明中說。

報道說，在測無人機已成功飛越卡奔塔利亞灣、大堡礁，以及位於澳大利亞和巴布亞新幾內亞間的托雷斯海峽。德布斯說，這些海域均為非法捕撈及其他海上違法活動猖獗的地區。

測試定於６月結束。屆時，澳邊防部門將向政府遞交測試報告。（新華社電）

（責任編輯: 黃銳 ）