Canada's air force has begun using unmanned spy planes in Kandahar, Afghanistan, which can scour the desert and rugged mountainous terrain and help keep soldiers out of harm's way.

The state-of-the art, $2-million flyers gather intelligence -- such as tracking down insurgents and photographing potential enemy hideouts and suspicious objects -- using specialized sensors and real-time video technology.

A technician on the ground controls the French-made drone, called a Sperwer. He or she sits in an area that resembles an aircraft cockpit.

The three-metre-long plane sends the information back to the base through radio waves where it is relayed to troops in the field.

The planes replace the military's conventional method of investigating roadways or areas by sending a patrol down the potentially dangerous path.

Having drones available means helicopter pilots can be saved for combat missions, instead of being exposed to danger in the often-routine intelligence-gathering missions.

"What's more important is that the guys on the ground come back safe and sound," said Capt. Clay Rook.

The Sperwer, which is Dutch for Sparrow Hawk, is a twin-tailed, propeller-driven craft that is a little bigger than a snowmobile and has a Bombardier engine about the size of what a snowmobile's.

A truck-mounted rail-launch system blasts the flyer into the air, going from zero to 160 km/h in one-quarter of a second.

The remote-controlled aircraft is also appealing because it lands by parachute, eliminating the need for a runway, like the bigger American drones like the Predator or Global Hawk.

Unlike the Predator, the Sperwer cannot carry a precision missile.

The Canadian military has been using the devices, known as TUAVs (tactical uninhabited aerial vehicles), on an individual basis for a couple of years, beginning in Kabul in 2003.

However, the air force has now added a fleet.

"It's a milestone in the ongoing transformation of the air force and the Canadian Forces," Maj. John Casey, commander of the TUAV flight in Kandahar, told The Canadian Press.

For security reasons, the military officials won't say how many planes are in use, but more are on the way.

With a report from CTV's Ellen Pinchuk and files from The Canadian Press

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