Posted on 12/04/2011 1:31:05 PM PST by buzzer
Operators of a U.S. drone lost flight control of it along Afghanistan's western border with Iran, according to a U.S. official with knowledge of the incident. The crew operating the unmanned drone reported a loss of flight control just before the drone went down. U.S. officials are aware of reports out of Iran that they shot down a U.S. RQ-170 Sentinel and believe this may be the drone the Iranians are talking about, according to this U.S. official.
(Excerpt) Read more at security.blogs.cnn.com ...
Anything that uses radio waves can be intercepted, recorded, analyzed, decoded and used. Just matter of time.
and you’re not a fella??? whoops. A double apology. lol
Lucky shooting?
This is not quite correct. RPVs are mostly autonomous and human intervention is quite limited. Satellite links provide data transmission back to the ground operator. You can bet that command and control signals, as well as data are all encrypted, and if the Iranians are breaking these kinds of codes and exploiting them in real time, then some folks at NSA need to be fired. Jamming does not good because the system is designed assuming that it will be jammed, which is why flight is mostly autonomous.
They might have shot one down, or it might have gone down because of a technical mishap, but that is why you fly UAVs, so that you can risk flying them in a high threat environoment. By comparison to a manned aircraft they are cheap.
No wurries, mate. It’s fun when FReepers find out after a few posts.
Why is everyone posting twice?
Why is everyone posting twice?
Looks like everyone here graduated from the school of redundancy again.
Looks like everyone here graduated from the school of redundancy again.
The RQ-170 Sentinel costs $6 million, in 2011 dollars.
The B-2A Spirit costs $1.07 billion, in 2011 dollars.
“The pilot is uncounted for.”
Thanks for the laugh!
It was just what I needed!
Cheers!
It was a general statement about anything that goes over the airwaves and it is true. Measures to minimize the interference and/or overtaking are used, but at some point direct communication (video/firing) are required and that's where the vulnerability exists. Encryption is helpful, but anything that is encrypted can be "unencrypted" just matter of time. With SDR technology it is much easier than back in the WWII days.
Relying on new RF technology (satellites, GPS, Cell phones) is fine in time of peace. When war, EMP or disasters strike, it is back to good old HF, VHF, tube radios and smoke signals :-)
Probably?
The point, man, is that you have stated nothing not known to the designers. Hi-value RPVs are designed assuming that they will be interferred with, malisciously.
A good encryption system cannot be decrypted in real time as would be necessary to interfere with the operation of any tactical signal.
I grew up doing morse code transmissions, but it is obsolete because modern communications technology is much more reliable. Interference, etc., degrades the bandwidth of transmissions, but error correction, etc. makes this much more reliable than old fashioned teletype or morse code. You think the telephone company does not have to deal with intereference all the time just to get your telephone call through? The good old days of vacuum tubes were not such good old days. I was there.
Finally, EMP is a whole ‘nuther ball game. A high altitude burst to take out satellites, to the extent it would actually work, would invite just one response from the US.
And what, pray tell, would Obama's response be?
All kinds of double and triple postings showing up on my computer. Anyone else? Your post came through three times.
FR had server problems last night, posters that refreshed often had repeat posts.
You’ve not visited my profile page, have you?
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