Unmanned drones to ensure security during Beijing Olympics

New Delhi, July 4 (ANI): China's security forces would use unmanned drones to patrol the skies over the Olympics venue Qingdao City, to watch for suspicious activities and transmit photos and videos back to command stations.

This would be the country's first known use of the spy craft, reported Xinhua.

The unmanned scout made its debut at a drill on Wednesday in Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province.

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During the drill, two armed police personnel remotely piloted the meter-long reconnaissance aircraft by a third-floor window in a building more than 50 meters away, and watched activities inside the room on a screen at their ground station.

Costing around one million yuan (approx. 147,000 US dollars) each, the low-altitude, low-noise aircraft can reconnoiter several square kilometers and stay in the air for an hour, said Dai Sujin, head of the armed police forces of Shandong.

But, he did not reveal the source of the technologies or the total number of the weapons dispatched during the Games, citing operational security.

Qingdao City will receive 464 athletes from 65 countries for 11 sailing events. It is also the only host city beside Beijing to hold opening and closing ceremonies.

Besides the unmanned drones, another 35 kinds of anti-terrorist weapons were on show in mock hijackings and bomb attacks. "They are expected to be used by the security forces during the Beijing Olympics," Dai said.

China has put emphasis on security in the run-up to the Games. An anti-terrorist force of nearly 100,000 commandos, police and army troops is on high alert for attempted terrorist attacks.

Security forces in host cities Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Qingdao, Shenyang, Qinhuangdao and Hong Kong have been patrolling the ground and skies of all venues and the maritime safety of coastal venues. (ANI)