Get The Facts!


Who makes them?

Predator and Reaper drones are built by San Diego-based General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), a sister company to General Atomics. The drone factory is located about 25 miles northeast from the main headquarters in Poway, CA. Between 1998-2003 General Atomics Aeronautical Systems had won over $980,000,000 in defense contracts. General Atomics is a leading company in a multitude of high-tech resources giving generously to both Democrats and Republicans. In 2008, the General Atomics PAC spent $173,800 contributing to the Democrats and $211,300 to the Republicans.

According to The San Diego Union-Tribune article "Prowling for Profit," the Predator and Reaper generally cost $4 million to $12 million each. The U.S. Defense Appropriations FY2010 key investments included $489 million for 24 new Reaper drones.The upcoming U.S. Defense Appropriations FY2011 includes: $2.2 billion for procurement of Predator-class aircraft to increase the Combat Air Patrols (CAPs) available to deployed forces from 37 to 65 by 2013; and doubling procurement of the MQ-9 Reaper over the next few years.

Israel and drones

As far back as 1982 Israel used drones against Syria. In the early nineties Israelis drones were us in the Kosovo campaign. The Israeli Air Force invades the skies over Lebanon and patrols occupied West Bank and besieged Gaza with drones. Twenty-nice civilians, including eight children were killed in what appeared to be six missiles by drones in Gaza. In Beirut, Lebanon an Israeli drone fired and killed at least 6 civilians and wounding 16. Israel refuses to confirm whether it is using armed drones over Gaza.

Isreal ranks second after the United States in the development and possession of drones, according to those in the industry. As the drones get bigger and move advanced the more expensive they become. Small drones cost tens of thousands of dollars. Big drones are hugely expensive. Some costs as much as $60 million. Elbit Systems Ltd and Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd are the two manufacturers making the deadly drones -- Heron TP/Eitan and Hermes 450. Between 2009-2018 the U.S. is scheduled to give Israel 30 billion dollars in military aid. The Israeli Air Force since at least 2005 have been training many operators and maintainers.

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Afghanistan and Civilian Casualties

Pakistan and Civilian Casualties

  • Although it may never be known how many civilians have died as a result of U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan, there are estimates of hundreds or thousands of innocent bystanders who have perished in the attacks. In the New America Foundation paper "Revenge of the Drones," roughly 252-315 civilians have been killed by Predator and Reaper drone strikes between 2006 and October 2009, but other sources show a much greater number of casualty deaths.
  • In July 2009, Daniel Byman, a senior fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy wrote, "Sourcing on civilian deaths is weak and the numbers are often exaggerated, but more than 600 civilians are likely to have died from the attacks. That number suggests that for every militant killed, 10 or so civilians also died."
  • Pakistani authorities released statistics earlier in the year indicating that between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009, U.S. Predator and Reaper drone strikes have killed over 700 innocent civilians.
  • The website PakistanBodyCount.Org (by Zeeshan-ul-hassan Usmani, a Fulbright Scholar at the Florida Institute of Technology) shows an overwhelming number of 1065 civilian casualty deaths between June 2004 to January 30, 2010 and tallying 103 drone strikes carried out by the U.S.
  • With the increase of drone strikes, according to the most recent story in The International News, January 2010 proved to be a deadly month in Pakistan with 123 innocent civilians killed. Even though the public may never know the true count of civilians deaths, as the CIA steps up its Predator and Reaper drone program, the number of civilian casualties in Pakistan will undeniably rise.
  • In the February 24, 2010 policy analysis released by the New America Foundation "The Year of the Drone" civilian fatality rate since 2004 is approximately 32 percent. The study shows that 114 reported drone strikes in northwest Pakistan from 2004 to present killed between 830 to 1210 individuals, of who around 550 to 850 were militants.