U.S donates secret stealth UAV to ailing Iran military

[LonelyplanetXO]

hmmmmm.... http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/09/world/middleeast/iran-shows-us-drone-on-tv-and-lodges-a-protest.html?_r=1

LPXO

[Allen]

That is a fark.com weapons grade headline!

+1

Pic of said donation.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2011/12/09/world/middleeast/09iran/09iran-articleLarge.jpg

[gradyhappyg]

Two words for those CIA drone flying types:
*Self Destruct*

[n4gix]

Iran claims it was "shot down?" With no damage at all? I don't think so. I suspect that it was allowed to be "captured" for some secret reason... :mixedsmi:

[Dev One]

So that they can get better close ups?
Keith

[hubbabubba]

The only thing that really impresses me in that picture is the size of these baseball caps' brims!!!
Two of these tuck on my head right and left would probably get me airborne in a good headwind:jump:

[Allen]

Two words for those CIA drone flying types:
*Self Destruct*

You would think that would be the first rule of spying with big toys...


Iran claims it was "shot down?" With no damage at all? I don't think so. I suspect that it was allowed to be "captured" for some secret reason... :mixedsmi:

It thought it may have been jammed and crahed or it was hijacked and crash landed. The fact that the whole U.S. Drone Fleet has a computer virus that can't be removed helps the hijack idea.


The only thing that really impresses me in that picture is the size of these baseball caps' brims!!!
Two of these tuck on my head right and left would probably get me airborne in a good headwind:jump:

Yup.

[TARPSBird]

Nothing our government does (or fails to do) surprises me anymore, so if the drone was allowed to come down in Iran with no contingency plan to protect it from compromise that's about par for the course. Still, the drone in the pic looks like a mock-up to me. The odd semi-gloss shade of desert tan looks like the "flesh" color enamel we've all used to paint pilots' hands and faces in model kits, and I would expect to see more external damage even if the drone landed intact. Oh well, just another case of "technology transfer" from us to our enemies due to our own stupidity. :frown:

[stansdds]

Supposedly this drone was designed without a self-destruct device and was also designed to circle, then land itself if it lost communications with its controller. If this is true I'd say it is monumentally incorrect thinking and planning by our intelligence services.

[n4gix]

There were some talking heads on ABC news this morning mumbling something about how Iran managed to hack into and assume control over the drone, which would account for the lack of damage...

Of course, we -that is the public- will probably never know the actual truth...

[Railrunner130]

That thing looks as real as the blow-up Santa Claus seen on many lawns these days.... And the patch job to connect the right wing to the fuselage looks like a five year old did it...

[Allen]

More info on how they got it is leaking out. Iran apparently jammed US control of the drone. Once it was jammed the drone went to autopilot mode to return home. When it did the Iranian hacked into GPS navigation that the autopilot used to make it land in Iran.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/iran-may-captured-u-stealth-drone-hacking-gps-030447469.html

As for the bad paint and patch job to connect the right wing. I'm betting it crash landed or Iran couldn't wait so see what was inside and ripped it open like kid opening a christmas present than patched it up best they could for the video.