After giving advanced weapons to the Taliban in Afghanistan, only to have them recycled and turned against us later, and after arming the anti-Gaddafi rebels in eastern Libya, only to suffer an RPG attack on our Benghazi consulate, now we are giving drones to the people currently in charge in Yemen. What could possibly go wrong?

Casey L. Coombs of  Aviation Week reports:

Amid a series of controversial U.S. air strikes against high-level Al-Qaeda officials in the Arabian Peninsula, and renewed military cooperation with Yemen, officials in Sanaa are now expecting to get a supply of weaponry from the Pentagon, including four of their own UAVs.

An anonymous Yemeni defense official, who was not authorized to speak with the press, tells Aviation Week that Yemen is receiving four AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven UAVs. The 1.9-kg Raven is equipped with sensors for target acquisition, and infrared cameras capable of displaying persons carrying weapons.

"This type of technology would be very appropriate for Yemen's frontline military units because it provides real-time intelligence from the battlefield to launch strikes while minimizing troops' exposure to surprise attacks," according to Aysh Awas, director of security and strategic studies at Sheba, a think tank here in the Yemeni capital.

The equipment marks a significant change in U.S. military cooperation with Yemen, which was suspended until earlier this year. Moreover, the U.S. Defense Department traditionally has kept a close hold on any UAV technologies, exporting them almost exclusively to close Western allies.

Hat tip: Jim Gammon