Royal Air Force sources have confirmed it will deploy armed "Reaper" unmanned aerial vehicles during the 2012 Olympics.

Using the machine above a huge city such as London is not without risk but according to RAF sources. British authorities regard the terrorist threat to the 2012 Olympic Games an even greater risk. "Armed Reapers will fly over London," a source said.

The Reaper, which is the latest version of the General Atomics Predator hunter-killer UAV, can carry an array of laser-guided bombs and missiles including the deadly Hellfire air-to-ground weapon which has been used against Taliban forces in Afghanistan. Hunter-killer UAVs are controlled by a ground station that directs them to the enemy and remotely fires its weapons.

The 11m-long Reaper can fly for 14 hours and carry an array of sensors including cameras, radars, electro-optical and infra-red that allow it to be deployed around the clock in all types of weather.

Courier Mail, Ian McPhedran, November 25, 2007

More at; Courier

See also: Predator/Reaper