Virus ‘Threat’ Seen to British UAVs

photo UK MoD

Oct. 10, 2011 defense-unmanned.com

(Source: British Forces News; posted Oct. 10, 2011)

A virus has been detected in control consoles at the US base where RAF pilots control Britain's fleet of Predator drones on missions over Afghanistan

According to hi-tech website Wires the infection has been detected at Creech Air Force base in Nevada where RAF 39 Squadron operate Predator and Reaper unmanned aircraft.

The virus is so far only thought to have infected Americian systems, logging every keystroke of pilots and effecting operator consoles that control armed and reconnaissance drones in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen. Attempts to wipe our the virus have so far failed.

The RAF has been using the base at Creech for its operations in Afghanistan since 2007.

Wired reports that the virus was first detected two weeks ago. The chances of a virus infecting systems has been increased by the use of portable drives by US pilots to upload terrain maps and mission videos.

In May this year the Chief of the Air Staff announced that a new Reaper Squadron will form at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire in 2012.

It means aircraft over Afghanistan will be controlled from the UK for the first time.