[FedCom] listen up (to hear five new BATF aircraft)

[HornSmoke]

I suspect the article is referencing small airplanes, like a Christian 
Husky (amazing glide factor) or Cessna 150? I'm surprised they don't go 
for UAV's.

If it records, flies and spies, it must also transmit video....

Any idea as to what frequency range the video feed downlink would be in?

Loren

BTW, I believe the American Border Patrol 
(http://www.americanborderpatrol.com/), a private organization, has used 
UAV's in the past to help track illegals down south. They used to have a 
livestream at one point and time.

Ed wrote:

> http://gsnmagazine.com/
>
> Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird...
>
> Actually, if the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
> Explosives has its way, those objects flying above you
> might soon be one of five single-engine aircraft the ATF
> hopes to lease from a commercial aviation company "to
> obtain aerial photographs to document crime scenes or aid
> in planning enforcement operations."
>
> The ATF says it is "exploring the viability" of leasing
> five high winged aircraft with good "slow flight"
> characteristics on which it could mount surveillance
> cameras to enhance its criminal investigations nationwide.
>
> It plans to base these aircraft at airports near Columbus,
> OH; Fort Worth, TX; Los Angeles, CA; Washington, DC; and
> Miami, FL, and fly each plane at least 34 hours per month.
>
>
> ATF wants to lease five aircraft to conduct surveillance
> over Columbus, Ohio, and other U.S. cities
>
>
> In a moment of wishful thinking, the ATF contracting
> officer, James Huff, asked potential leasing companies to
> keep ATF's plans hush-hush.
>
> "Because some of these airplanes may be used in an
> undercover or law enforcement sensitive nature, leasing
> companies must keep the ATF's involvement as confidential
> as possible," Huff wrote, in a "sources sought notice"
> posted online by ATF on June 26 and readily available to
> anyone with Internet access. "Ideally, the ATF's
> involvement would not be known at the airplanes point of
> delivery," Huff added.
>
> A law enforcement agency within the U.S. Department of
> Justice, the ATF says it's committed to "investigate and
> reduce crime involving firearms and explosives, acts or
> arson, and illegal trafficking of alcohol and tobacco
> products."
>
> If it can find the right leasing company, the bureau
> Intends to use the five aircraft on a "dry lease" basis
> (which includes all maintenance, but doesn't include fuel
> or oil), in accordance with visual day, night and
> instrument flight rules.
>
> The aircraft will be used to gather and transport evidence
> and to move equipment across the country, explained the
> official notice. "The aircraft must be able to operate at a
> low noise level in order to avoid detection," the ATF
> specified.
>
> Potential leasing companies were asked to contact Huff
> (james.huff at atf.gov) by tomorrow, July 10.
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