U.S. military spy drone can see what type of phone you're carrying from 17,500ft

Daily Mail ^ | 28 January 2013 | DAMIEN GAYLE

[expat1000]

A sinister airborne surveillance camera gives the U.S. military the ability to track movements in an entire city like a real-time Google Street View.

The ARGUS-IS array can be mounted on unmanned drones to capture an area of 15 sq/miles in an incredible 1,800MP - that's 225 times more sensitive than an iPhone camera.

From 17,500ft the remarkable surveillance system can capture objects as small as 6in on the ground and allows commanders to track movements across an entire battlefield in real time.

[expat1000]

Full Title: The incredible U.S. military spy drone that's so powerful it can see what type of phone you're carrying from 17,500ft

[expat1000]

That tremendous level of detail makes it sensitive enough to not only track people moving around on the ground thousands of feet below, but even to see what they are doing or carrying. The ARGUS array sends its live feed to the ground where it connects to a touch-screen command room interface. Using this, operators can zoom in to any area within the camera's field of view, with up to 65 zoom windows open at once. Each video window is electronically steerable independent of the others, and can either provide continuous imagery of a fixed area on the ground or be designated to automatically keep a specified target in the window.

[expat1000]

ping

[Ray76]

30,000 drones roughs out to a 10sq mi grid over the 48, well within the capabilities reported for this drone.

Land of the free is becoming a giant open air super max.

[gunsequalfreedom]

they can probably tell the date on a dime

[TexasTransplant]

Remember folks... the guy doing this can be in North Dakota and the Cell Phone he is looking at can be in Iran.

Cool stuff ... much better than Dick Tracy, but I heard Apple may be coming out with a Dick Tracy Watch

TT

[Seizethecarp]

More detail on ARGUS:

“The system automatically tracks any moving object it can see, including both vehicles and individuals on foot, highlighting them with coloured boxes so they can be easily identified.

“It also records everything, storing an approximate million terabytes of data a day - the equivalent of 5,000 hours of high-definition video footage.

“’So you can go back and say I’d like to see what happened at this particular location three days, two hours [and] four minutes ago, and it will actually show you what happened as if you were watching it live,’ said Mr Antoniades.”

[hoosierham]

And the guy controlling the drone could be in Iran and you are in North Dakota.

Think hackers.Think about the U.S. drone the Iranians already got. Think about our terrorist-in-chief occupying the White House.
Think about having absolutely no privacy from the government. Think it still sounds wonderful?

[Seizethecarp]

My recent post on ARGUS:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2981309/posts

“Here is the FR thread on the NOVA program, which was very informative. The Predator drone’s inventor is interviewed and the Predator insides are extensively revealed in addition to demonstration of the ARGUS system.

“Rise of the Drones (PBS NOVA Wed Jan 23 9PM EST)”

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2980837/posts

2 posted on Thursday, January 24, 2013 2:07:28 AM by Seizethecarp

[Ray76]

17,500ft. Too high. Maybe HERF could get it.

Better yet don’t deploy 30,000 drones over US.

[LucyT]

.

.... U.S. military spy drone can see what type of phone you’re carrying from 17,500ft ....

Article and # 7.

Thanks, Seizethecarp.

[Jonty30]

I’ve read they also have cameras that can now identify every individual in a crowd individually.

[Seizethecarp]

(My comment on NOVA demo):

You will note that the ARGUS demonstration was made over Quantico VA, just down the Potomac River from Wash DC and right over the Marine Corps base, so ARGUS is already in US airspace as of this 2011 demonstration and probably earlier.

I strongly expect that the inauguration this week was covered by an ARGUS drone (maybe several)...and some armed Predator drones as well that would have been piloted by a dedicated Secret Service detail. This is “merely” an extension of the sniper protection of the POTUS to a third dimension. I also expect that POTUS has Predator and ARGUS coverage in place for all US appearances around the US and probably in many foreign appearances as well.

This same logic that I suspect has already brought armed drones into US airspace will inevitably bring armed drones to local law enforcement as part of SWAT teams.

[Paladin2]

How does one zero in a scope for 10,000 ft?

[Jack Hydrazine]

Can you hear me now???

[expat1000]

>>Remember folks... the guy doing this can be in North Dakota and the Cell Phone he is looking at can be in Iran.

Well, yeah. Hopefully it will be Iran, not Kentucky or Texas, for example.

[expat1000]

Thanks. I thought details had probably been posted under another title, but what the heck...

[TexasTransplant]

***** “Land of the free is becoming a giant open air super max” *****

Not gonna happen... the operators, the support ... all local ... ain’t cheap either

If it gets to the point that you are worried about we have already decreased our population by 50% those that could give the orders to turn these loose on us... their attrition rate may be a bit higher.

I Trust my fellow Soldiers, Sailors, Marines. (You Coasties need to step up, starting to worry bout you guys turning into the Maritime version of BATF)

I Trust my Sheriff

I (WE) in my town can (if we need to) replace our Mayor and City Council that give the marching orders to LE

TT

[Ray76]

Dunno. HERF might disable electronics. Trace a grid across the sky. Maybe get lucky.

This is the stuff they tell us about and it’s unbelievably powerful. The fed. govt plans on deploying 30,000 drones. I don’t know that they are all this powerful... yet.

Surveillance of this magnitude is an incredibly aggressive act. No humans should have this power over others save in war.

[Paladin2]

Having worked with "dynamic situational", near surveillance real time control systems prior to my (premature) retirement, I find the "Machine" described in the TV show "POI" to be only a few years away from possible implementation.

The slope is a cliff and we are headed for it at full warp speed.