"Backpack airplanes" are another piece of technology that may be playing a role in giving American forces the upper hand in Fallujah. These small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be carried in two backpacks, assembled in minutes (they're made of a composite material that looks a lot like plastic foam) and launched by hand. Marines used them to good effect during the fighting last April.Posted by dan at November 15, 2004 12:25 AMEquipped with a small television camera and powered by an electric motor, these small planes (weight about 5 pounds, wingspan 45 inches) can give commanders on the scene a quick look at the other side of a building or a hill or screen of trees. Difficult to see or hear during fighting, these UAVs can stay aloft for up to an hour, sending back real time video of the battlefield as much as five miles away. Field commanders can watch the action on a back-packable television receiver.