Predator B can conduct multiple missions simultaneously due to its large internal and external payload capacity. Photo from Airforce Technology.From Space Wars:
Unmanned aerial vehicles have proven their worth in the war on terror as reconnaissance and surveillance platforms that provide battlefield commanders with real-time, optically enhanced streaming video of terrain, suspicious movements and intelligence-driven targets of interest.
On the brigade level, the Shadow-200 tactical UAV stands out. On the battalion level and lower, it's the Raven, a hand-launched UAV just 38 inches in length, with a 5-foot wingspan and with nose and side-mounted cameras. The battery-operated vehicle is so small, it can be packed in a suitcase and assembled in minutes. It can take to the air for about 60 minutes to provide soldiers in the field with real-time imagery of what lies ahead, although its cameras lack a zoom capability.
But neither the Shadow nor the Raven is weapons-capable. The Predator-MQ1, however, is another matter. It's the big boy on the block with lethal punch to its payload, as terrorists in Iraq as well as Afghanistan have found out.
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My Comment: The Taliban have repeatedly told reporters and journalists that the weapon system that they fear the most are the UAVs. Operating 24/7, with an arsenal that is both deadly and accurate, there is (so far) no defense against such a weapons platform.
No surprise .... every military department in the world now wants their own fleet.