VOA标准英语2010年-Israel Trains German Pilots to Fly Dro

Some German pilots that are part of NATO operations in Afghanistan are in Israel for training on special reconnaissance drones.  The Jewish state's expertise¹ is helping² to train the Germans to protect ground troops and convoys³ in Afghanistan.

 At Israel's Ein Shemer air base, a Heron drone takes off for a training mission.  But this propeller-driven aircraft is bright white with a black iron cross and the red, yellow, and black flag of the German Luftwaffe on its side.  Inside a non-descript metal building, a German pilot controls the craft, which carries high-resolution cameras and other equipment. 

Germany has the third-largest NATO contingent⁴ in Afghanistan - 4,300 personnel.  The Germans ordered a small fleet of the Heron drones from Israel Aerospace⁵ Industries to help prevent civilian⁶ casualties and friendly-fire incidents in the rugged⁷ Afghan terrain⁸.

One of the pilots in training - identified as Major C to preserve military secrecy⁹ - says having the drones in Afghanistan will be invaluable¹⁰.

"It's a huge support because then we can finally do intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance right over the battlefields in real life, so we support the troops and we can support convoys driving around in real time," said Major C.

Inside the training building, pilots and instructors¹¹ sit behind controls and computer screens.  A map and the view from the drone's cameras are displayed in front of each pilot.  German pilot Major T used to fly a Tornado¹² plane in Afghanistan.  He says the drones could have a huge impact.

"So you know in Afghanistan it's really hard to compare the good guys from the bad guys," said Major T.  "So you have to surveil them a long time until you can say 'okay, maybe he's kind of a suspicious person, so maybe we should investigate it a longer time or not.'   So that's the main reason why we have the Heron there."

Israel is one of the pioneers of combat drones, having used the remote-controlled aircraft in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.  The United States, Canada, France, Australia and Spain also use drones in Afghanistan. 

But Israeli experts training German pilots at an airbase that Britain's RAF used to fight the Germans in World War II is an historical irony¹³ not lost on Tomer Koriat, the deputy director of the training project.  Koriat says his team has a great deal of respect for their German students.

"How do I feel about this issue, us supporting the Germans? From the beginning of the project till today all of us have learned that today we are talking about another Germany than what we used to know," said Koriat.

Each of the Heron drones costs about $10 million, depending on how it is equipped.  Because Afghanistan is an Islamic republic, Israeli mechanics will not be able to provide maintenance.  A German partner - Rheinmetall Defence - will maintain the aircraft once they are deployed¹⁴.

 

1 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

2 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

3 convoys   

n.（有护航的）船队( convoy的名词复数 )；车队；护航（队）；护送队

参考例句：

• Truck convoys often stop over for lunch here. 车队经常在这里停下来吃午饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A UN official said aid programs will be suspended until there's adequate protection for relief convoys. 一名联合国官员说将会暂停援助项目，直到援助车队能够得到充分的保护为止。 来自辞典例句

4 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

5 aerospace   

adj.航空的，宇宙航行的

参考例句：

• The world's entire aerospace industry is feeling the chill winds of recession.全世界的航空航天工业都感受到了经济衰退的寒意。
• Edward Murphy was an aerospace engineer for the US Army.爱德华·墨菲是一名美军的航宇工程师。

6 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

7 rugged   

adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的

参考例句：

• Football players must be rugged.足球运动员必须健壮。
• The Rocky Mountains have rugged mountains and roads.落基山脉有崇山峻岭和崎岖不平的道路。

8 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。

9 secrecy   

n.秘密，保密，隐蔽

参考例句：

• All the researchers on the project are sworn to secrecy.该项目的所有研究人员都按要求起誓保守秘密。
• Complete secrecy surrounded the meeting.会议在绝对机密的环境中进行。

10 invaluable   

adj.无价的，非常宝贵的，极为贵重的

参考例句：

• A computer would have been invaluable for this job.一台计算机对这个工作的作用会是无法估计的。
• This information was invaluable to him.这个消息对他来说是非常宝贵的。

11 instructors   

指导者，教师( instructor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The instructors were slacking on the job. 教员们对工作松松垮垮。
• He was invited to sit on the rostrum as a representative of extramural instructors. 他以校外辅导员身份，被邀请到主席台上。

12 tornado   

n.飓风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• A tornado whirled into the town last week.龙卷风上周袭击了这座城市。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

13 irony   

n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄

参考例句：

• She said to him with slight irony.她略带嘲讽地对他说。
• In her voice we could sense a certain tinge of irony.从她的声音里我们可以感到某种讥讽的意味。

14 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。