Head-Shaking Stuff

Great, isn't it? The Australian taxpayer pays Israel the better to aid and abet NATO criminality in Afghanistan:

"The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) will soon be using Israeli military technology in its fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan. Defence Minister Senator John Faulkner announced this week that Australia will lease Heron Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), made by Israel Aerospace Industries. The RAAF will collaborate with the Canadian military in using the long-range unmanned spy planes in Afghanistan. 'The high resolution intelligence, surveillance and reconaissance capability will enhance the capability of Australian forces in Afghanistan', Senator Faulkner said on Monday." (Australia fights terrorism with Israeli military technology, The Australian Jewish News, 11/9/09)

"Heron 1 UAV, Canada is a large MALE UAV in the MQ-1 Predator Class. It is primarily used as a surveillance UAV over land and sea... The 2006 war in Lebanon also demonstrated that they could be armed if necessary." (Canada, Australia contract for Heron UAVs, defenseindustrydaily.com, 7/9/09)

Apparently, we've got form in consorting with Israeli arms manufacturers:

"A top-secret spy plane used by Israel in the war in Lebanon was photographed in Kununurra 15 years ago. Chairman of the Airport Committee at the time, Keith Wright, recalls a group of about 40 Israeli Air Force personnel being camped in a 'tent city' on the airport. They were trialling the pilotless aircraft, which was being controlled from an Iroquois helicopter. It was about the time when the airport terminal was being refurbished to the size it is today. Recent media photographs of the plane claimed to be the first ones released, whilst in Kununurra it was almost a non-event 15 years ago. The 'drone' is called a 'Heron' and is manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries. It is capable of carrying missiles and can take part in covert 'track and kill' missions. The Heron can fly for up to 40 hours without refuelling at altitudes up to 10,000 metres." (Spy plane was here, The Kimberley Echo, 22/3/07)

[See my 19/5/08 post Supping With the Devil]