Houston's Ellington Field to get A dozen U.S. Predator aircraft

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Houston's Ellington Field to get A dozen U.S. Predator aircraft

Posted: 8/17/2005 9:41:06 AM EDT

HOUSTON -- A dozen U.S. Predator aircraft will be based at Houston's Ellington Field for use in homeland security and border patrols.

Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay made the announcement in Houston Wednesday.

Predators are unmanned aircraft that can carry missiles and can stay airborne for 24 hours. They can be operated by ground control or satellite. They can be used to locate targets and either fire their own Hellfire missiles or be followed up by other aircraft.

Perry said the 12 Predators at Ellington would be used to patrol such assets as the Southeast Texas ports and petrochemical complex and NASA's Johnson Space Center. Perry said they'll also be used to patrol the border with Mexico.

DeLay, a Republican congressman from Sugar Land, said the aircraft would used to monitor illegal immigration.

Perry said they'd also be used as a bargaining chip with the independent federal base-closing commission to keep the 147th Fighter Wing at Ellington.

Link

I live less than I mile away, I'll be seeing them takeing off and landing, flying around

Posted: 8/17/2005 9:45:43 AM EDT

[#1]

think the ones flying the border will be armed

Posted: 8/17/2005 9:46:23 AM EDT

[#2]

Posted: 8/17/2005 9:47:20 AM EDT

[#3]

Posted: 8/17/2005 9:48:50 AM EDT

[#4]

they could fit a minigun on it

Posted: 8/17/2005 9:50:19 AM EDT

[#5]

It would be great if they added Viperstrike munitions

Posted: 8/17/2005 9:50:40 AM EDT

[#6]

Ya , and when they shoot it it will back up a mile from the kick.

Posted: 8/17/2005 9:53:43 AM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:
It would be great if they added Viperstrike munitions

Posted: 8/17/2005 9:54:17 AM EDT

[#8]

They could fit a minigun on it, but no ammo. I don't think most people understand what it takes to keep a minigun running. Ammo, ammo, and more ammo. 66.6 rounds per second takes alot of room and weight.

Posted: 8/17/2005 9:56:02 AM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:
They could fit a minigun on it, but no ammo. I don't think most people understand what it takes to keep a minigun running. Ammo, ammo, and more ammo. 66.6 rounds per second takes alot of room and weight.

it was a j/k

Posted: 8/17/2005 9:56:45 AM EDT

[#10]

I wonder if they can carry M260 (7-rocket) pods, with anti-personnel rockets; about the same weight as an AGM-114 (hellfire). Now THAT's what I call a deterrent!

Edit: yes, an IR camera and 14 AP rockets, in the middle of night while they camp out...

Posted: 8/17/2005 9:58:26 AM EDT

[#11]

Didn't mean to jump all over you.

Posted: 8/17/2005 9:58:40 AM EDT

[#12]

Let's just hope some insane ex-Marine sniper who owns a 30-06 doesn't live in the area! Otherwise, he may shoot them all down.

BTW, I find it funny they are talking about these as if they'll actually be armed.

Posted: 8/17/2005 10:14:53 AM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:
HOUSTON -- A dozen U.S. Predator aircraft will be based at Houston's Ellington Field for use in homeland security and border patrols.

Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay made the announcement in Houston Wednesday.

Predators are unmanned aircraft that can carry missiles and can stay airborne for 24 hours. They can be operated by ground control or satellite. They can be used to locate targets and either fire their own Hellfire missiles or be followed up by other aircraft.

Perry said the 12 Predators at Ellington would be used to patrol such assets as the Southeast Texas ports and petrochemical complex and NASA's Johnson Space Center. Perry said they'll also be used to patrol the border with Mexico.

DeLay, a Republican congressman from Sugar Land, said the aircraft would used to monitor illegal immigration.

Perry said they'd also be used as a bargaining chip with the independent federal base-closing commission to keep the 147th Fighter Wing at Ellington.

Link

I live less than I mile away, I'll be seeing them takeing off and landing, flying around

We live near each other

Posted: 8/17/2005 10:25:15 AM EDT

[#14]

so will do you guys think they will fly from here and patrol the entire border?

and quijanos IM sent

Posted: 8/17/2005 10:29:51 AM EDT

[#15]

Likely Maritime / Railroad / Petrochem in light of the large industry down here
Apache's are regularly flying the RR tracks on both sides of 45

Posted: 8/17/2005 10:43:25 AM EDT

[#16]

yea I see them flying around all the time, but he stated they would be used for border security, would they fly straight from here and patrol the border and come back?

Posted: 8/17/2005 10:45:39 AM EDT

[#17]

I don't know the range on those things, but the coast is technically a border, and I'd think one of the San Antonio bases would handle the Mexican border in light of there closer proximity.
Maybe its for the Louisiana border?

Posted: 8/17/2005 11:36:10 AM EDT

[#18]

Quoted:
I don't know the range on those things, but the coast is technically a border, and I'd think one of the San Antonio bases would handle the Mexican border in light of there closer proximity.
Maybe its for the Louisiana border?

Maybe it is for the border between Harris and Galveston counties.

They can spy on people taking their cars across and getting their inspections done.

Posted: 8/17/2005 4:27:50 PM EDT

[#19]

I'm only a couple of miles away. Great !

OOPS ! time to renew already ?

Posted: 8/17/2005 4:43:17 PM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:
HOUSTON -- A dozen U.S. Predator aircraft will be based at Houston's Ellington Field for use in homeland security and border patrols.

And how, pray tell, will the damn thing avoid VFR traffic? Don't say radar, because radar doesn't cover everywhere. I hope they don't try a TFR everytime one of these things goes up.

---
700's

Posted: 8/17/2005 4:51:51 PM EDT

[#21]

how long before they are used to spy on the Minutemen, Ranch Rescue, etc.

Posted: 8/17/2005 7:57:19 PM EDT

[#22]

They should fly the Predators south of the Mexican border to blast the safehouses. If they shoot one down or see it, we can blame it on the computer geek with thick glasses who had trouble reading the coordinates.

Posted: 8/17/2005 8:11:47 PM EDT

[#23]

Pretty cool. I used to be stationed down there, in Ellington. Saw a few unique NASA aircraft.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Houston's Ellington Field to get A dozen U.S. Predator aircraft

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