CUSSETA: It may appear to be a harmless seagull, drifting in the wind. But actually it is a small, unmanned aircraft packed with electronics gear for intelligence and reconnaissance missions.

Developers who showed off one such craft here in Georgia say the diminutive ultra-light is simple to operate — so simple, in fact, that any child who has ever played a video game could learn to fly it in a few hours. But at $30,000 each, the CyberBug is not priced to sell at toy stores.

CyberDefense Systems demonstrated one of its surveillance aircraft in conjunction with an announcement by National Security Associates, that it will build a 280-hectare police and military training site near Fort Benning, home of the Army's Infantry, Airborne and Ranger schools.

The CyberBug represents a class of unmanned aircraft finding growing acceptance with police and military officials. Others, such as the Raven RQ-11A are in use by the Army in trouble spots like Afghanistan. Some of the best-known unmanned aircraft are the Predator and the Global Hawk.

Billy Robinson of CyberDefense said the company has "placed" 12 of the CyberBug systems with clients, including the U.S. Forest Service, a Navy school and an unnamed federal intelligence agency.

The company recently used one to locate mock victims in a swamp near Naples, Florida, during an Air Force exercise, Mr. Robinson said, noting that they can loiter over a target and relay video until rescuers arrive.

Powered by a propeller driven by an almost-silent electric motor, the craft can remain aloft for about an hour, transmitting wireless videos of the ground. The pilot flies the aircraft using a video-game controller and can monitor the images on a laptop computer from a distance of up to about 12 km. — AP

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