Cymdeithas y Cymod – the Fellowship of Reconciliation (Wales) has launched a petition against the Welsh Assembly Government’s support and promotion of military Drones in Wales.

We have signed this petition to voice the following:

‘Pilotless military drones are a major and highly dangerous development in weapons of warfare. These drones are being deployed with ease and impunity, often resulting in innocent civilian deaths. We urge the Welsh Government to withdraw its support for the UK’s drones to be tested at Aberporth and flown over a large area of Wales.’

The petition can be downloaded here as a PDF and here as as a Word Doc for printing.

They should be returned to the address at the foot of the petition by June 23rd 2012.

A Watchkeeper military drone flown from Parc Aberporth

A letter from Welsh Minister for Business, Enterprise, Technology and Science, Edwina Hart dated 8th February 2012 has confirmed that only 6 of the 45 people employed at ParcAberporth do not work directly on military projects. About 35 work on the Watchkeeper military drone project, 4 work for arms company QinetiQ and 6 work for West Wales Airport – (presumably facilitating the testing of military drones).

With regard to economic activity at ParcAberporth, in addition to 6 staff employed by West Wales Airport, and 4 employed by QinetiQ at West Wales UAV Centre, there are on average between 30 – 35 engaged working on the UK Watchkeeper Project.

Download the letter as a PDF here

When the Welsh Assembly carried out a public consultation in 2009 about creating a 500 sq mile UAV test zone over west Wales, the civilian uses and job-creating potential for drones was overwhelming emphasised and the military use of ParcAberporth barely mentioned. When the ParcAberporth development was first planned in the early 2000′s, the possibility of hundreds of jobs in a UAV “Center of Excellence” helped to sell the idea to the Welsh Assembly.

£13 million of public money has gone into this project, but the main beneficiary appears to be the military. The dream of a civilian centre of excellence is dead. The industrial units built to house UAV companies stand empty and are for rent on the open market to all comers – whether UAV related or not, and there appear to be no takers. We understand that prospective customers have even been flown from Cambridge free of charge in order to view the empty buildings.

Once the Watchkeeper UAV tests come to an end, ParcAberporth will be left as a little used aerodrome with a collection of empty office buildings and less employees than a Tesco convenience store. Well done Welsh Assembly, Ceredigion County Council and the elected MP and AM who have supported the project.

Helen John

The Drone Wars UK website reports that longtime peace campaigner Helen John is setting up a new peace camp at RAF Waddington, the Lincolnshire RAF base that is to become the new home for pilots controlling British Reaper drones.

Helen is calling for support from fellow activists, protesters and campers, from within UK and internationally. The camp is open to all. It is intended that the camp at RAF Waddington will be mixed, and not ‘Women only’ as some protest camps are. The only request made to anyone willing or wishing to attend is that no booze or drugs are brought to the camp.

It is hoped that some communal facilities will be available from the outset but in the early stages visitors/campers are advised to arrive reasonably self sufficiently equipped.  Anyone wishing to attend the camp but needing camping equipment should email Kate, ktholcombe@aol.com or phone on 0774 8015601 to discuss their requirements. Where possible stuff will be provided for anyone in need.
Helen says:

I learnt recently that RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire had become the home base for the Reaper Stealth bombers (Drones). I was horrified. Having lived through WW2, I witnessed the destruction of my grandmother’s house, cut in two by a V11 rocket (as we then called them).

I feel deeply ashamed that we now in the 21^st century are bringing back Nazi technology to blight the future. Killing and maiming others for oil it appears, while our ‘pilots’ sit in comfort and safety at their computer consuls, thousands of miles away.  Murder by remote control. Whatever next?

Will we follow Werner Von Braun, the inventor of this weapons system? He hung 800 prisoners of war and left the corpses hanging as a daily reminder to the captive workforce not to continue sabotage.

We have seen the back of Cruise Missiles, the son of Von Braun, now we have the grandson Drones. Do we want them? – NO.

Von Braun and other prominent Nazis were welcomed with open arms into the U.S.A after a change in the constitution – what have we gained or lost? Can we afford this criminal folly, I think not.

For more details and further information see RAF Waddington Peace Camp

“The airspace is designated as a danger zone by the CAA, and the discussions behind this new ACP started some three to four years ago . . .

“The airspace will be subject to safety requirements imposed and regulated by the CAA and the Military Aviation Authority, and unmanned flight will only be activated in the new airspace when scheduled.”

The revised airspace will become effective from 28 July 2011. The new Danger Areas will be identified as EG D202 and EG D202A/B/C. Details of the revised airspace is contained in AIC: Y 052/2011, which will be published on 16 June 2011 and will be available at: www.ais.org.uk

Click map for larger version or download a PDF of the map (even larger scale)

Other Links

• David Learmount on UK CAA approves Welsh airspace for UAV testing
• Civil Aviation Authority – CAA approves new segregated airspace for unmanned aircraft
• ADS Group – Civil Aviation Authority gives green light for world class unmanned systems facility in Wales
• AOPA – CAA approves new segregated airspace for unmanned aircraft
• BBC – Drone Exclusion Zone from Aberporth made Permanent

The firm said the job cuts were due to decreasing defence budgets and loss of and delays in major programmes.

This could well be the final nail in the coffin of the Parc Aberporth UAV “Centre of Excellence”. Most of the offices are now being offered for rent to any company which will take them for any purpose and their has been almost total silence from the  Welsh Assembly on the project for months.

An announcement by the Civil Aviation Authority on whether WAG’s application for a 500 square mile UAV testing zone or “segregated airspace” is to be approved is long overdue, and the WAG official who was responsible for managing the application as well as the proceeding  public consultation has now left WAG to take up a new post with the CAA.