The Iranian government has captured an intact American RQ-170 Sentinel drone near Kashmar, 140 miles from Afghanistan’s western border. The top secret robot plane, made by Lockheed Martin, has been shown on state television, along with a banner stating "The United States Cannot Do a Damned Thing" [a quote from the late Ayotollah Khomeini] and a US flag featuring skulls instead of stars.
This advanced technology is sitting in a hostile nation state. Iran has known since 2005 that the U.S. was conducting such surveillance. It has demanded, through its Swiss embassy, an explanation and compensation from the United States.
Iran claims the drone was brought down through an electronic attack, but American officials reject that claim. The video showing the drone to be essentially intact verifies that it can be programmed to land safely after the communications link is lost.
The Pentagon refused to comment on the drone, but there appears to have been an increasing surveillance program, with a central mission of covering Iran’s nuclear facilities, that has been operating for years from an American air base in Afghanistan and from other regional bases. The loss of this drone could prove to be a serious setback.
The Iranians may be able to sell the drone to others – such as the Russians or Chinese. U.S. officials worry that others may be able to recreate the chemical composition of the drone’s radar-deflecting paint or the vehicle’s optical technology. These craft have permitted positive identification of terror suspects from high altitude flights. The drones sensors would provide important information to other nations, such as China. The drone’s database might also be hacked.
The drone may have contained an AESA radar, an advanced feature used with manned aircraft such as F-22 and F-35 aircraft.
The loss of the drone also brings Afghanistan into the Iranian crisis. Bruce Riedel, an official with the Brookings Institution and formerly with the CIA, states, "He is already a proxy in a war with Pakistan. Now he is a proxy in a covert war with Iran the Afghan people knew nothing about."
Summarized from an Associated Press article online at:
http://news.yahoo.com/apnewsbreak-ap-source-video-shows-lost-drone-215634903.html
This advanced technology is sitting in a hostile nation state. Iran has known since 2005 that the U.S. was conducting such surveillance. It has demanded, through its Swiss embassy, an explanation and compensation from the United States.
Iran claims the drone was brought down through an electronic attack, but American officials reject that claim. The video showing the drone to be essentially intact verifies that it can be programmed to land safely after the communications link is lost.
The Pentagon refused to comment on the drone, but there appears to have been an increasing surveillance program, with a central mission of covering Iran’s nuclear facilities, that has been operating for years from an American air base in Afghanistan and from other regional bases. The loss of this drone could prove to be a serious setback.
The Iranians may be able to sell the drone to others – such as the Russians or Chinese. U.S. officials worry that others may be able to recreate the chemical composition of the drone’s radar-deflecting paint or the vehicle’s optical technology. These craft have permitted positive identification of terror suspects from high altitude flights. The drones sensors would provide important information to other nations, such as China. The drone’s database might also be hacked.
The drone may have contained an AESA radar, an advanced feature used with manned aircraft such as F-22 and F-35 aircraft.
The loss of the drone also brings Afghanistan into the Iranian crisis. Bruce Riedel, an official with the Brookings Institution and formerly with the CIA, states, "He is already a proxy in a war with Pakistan. Now he is a proxy in a covert war with Iran the Afghan people knew nothing about."
Summarized from an Associated Press article online at:
http://news.yahoo.com/apnewsbreak-ap-source-video-shows-lost-drone-215634903.html
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