Iraqi "drone" made of duct tape

You can't make this stuff up:

A remotely piloted aircraft that the United States has warned could spread chemical weapons appears to be made of balsa wood and duct tape, with two small propellors attached to what look like the engines of a weed whacker.

[...]

In Washington's search for a "smoking gun" that would prove Iraq is not disarming, Powell has insisted the drone, which has a wingspan of 24.5 feet, could be fitted to dispense chemical and biological weapons. He has said it "should be of concern to everybody."

The drone's white fuselage was emblazoned Wednesday with the words "God is great" and the code "Quds-10." Its balsa wood wings were held together with duct tape. Officials said they referred to the remotely piloted vehicle as the RPV-30A.

Latif said the plane is controlled by the naked eye from the ground. Asked whether its range is above the 93-mile limit imposed by the United Nations, he said it couldn't be controlled from more than five miles.

Now this may all be Iraqi disinformation, but if the duct-taped drone is the same one discussed by Powell, it would be another nail in the coffin bearing Powell's credibility, and that of the US.

(Thanks to reader BM for the heads-up.)

Posted March 12, 2003 08:25 AM | Comments (63)