Posted on 06/24/2019 12:38:39 PM PDT by originalbuckeye
Can our drones take videos? Do we know how our Government got a video of an Iranian ship rescuing the sticky bomb that didn’t blow up on the tanker?
I do not pretend to know much about such things, but the possibility occurred to me and I came to the place where I can get answers from people who might know. Thank you Freepers, in advance.
Some capabilities: https://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4350&tid=500&ct=4
Visible Light and IR sensors.
Does the pope wear a funny hat?!
Yeah, video is one of the things they do.
Judas Priest - Electric Eye
Up here in space, I’m looking down on you
My lasers trace everything you do
You think you’ve private lives, think nothing of the kind
There is no true escape, I’m watching all the time
[Pre-Hook]
I’m made of metal
My circuits gleam
I am perpetual
I keep the country clean
[Hook]
I’m elected electric spy
I’m protected electric eye
[Verse 2]
Always in focus, you can’t feel my stare
I zoom into you, but you don’t know I’m there
I take a pride in probing all your secret moves
My tearless retina takes pictures that can prove
[Pre-Hook]
I’m made of metal
My circuits gleam
I am perpetual
I keep the country clean
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WL_2p-NvWI
Visible Light and IR sensors. ...
I suppose they would have a couple radars on board. They may have chemical/nuclear detection equipment. No telling what unknown equipment they could have on board.
Yes. Video in near real time. There is a certain amount of inherent lag in the feed but it is usually indiscernible. DTV/ FLIR and good quality.
Yeah... that’s their purpose. Drones spot Iran attacking ships in the Straits of Hormuz, then target drones.
Ummm... What do you think drones are for? Entertaining children?
See my tag line below...
I am NOT an expert, but here’s my take on it.
Description of capabilities (translation below)
Block 30 is a multi-intelligence platform that simultaneously carries electro-optical, infrared, synthetic aperture radar (SAR), and high and low band SIGINT sensors. Block 30 Initial Operating Capability (IOC) was declared in August 2011. Eighteen Block 30s are currently fielded, supporting every geographic combatant command as well as combat missions in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom/ New Dawn. Block 30s also supported Operation Odyssey Dawn in Libya and humanitarian relief efforts during Operation Tomodachi in Japan. Block 40 carries the Radar Technology Insertion Program (RTIP) active electronically scanned array radar which provides MTI and SAR data. Block 40 Early Operating Capability (EOC) was declared in Sep 2013 and eleven Block 40s are currently fielded, supporting operations in four combatant commands. IOC is projected in 2015.
Meaning:
electro-optical
- here’s your video, in the visible spectrum and higher
infrared
- heat images, think night vision
synthetic aperture radar (SAR)
- radar scanning that creates images of landscapes, stuff on the ground, and other stuff flying around
and high and low band SIGINT sensors
- it listens to radio signals and is able to gather and decrypt them. Think cell phone, radio, tv, short wave, etc.
Just because the drones are unmanned does not mean they do not have a “pilot” controlling them. So these remote “pilots”, like pilots in a cockpit, must be able to see to maneuver and release munitions against targets. So yes they have video capabilities.
Around 10 years ago I bought a camera for $19. It actually took fairly good video.
Somehow I suspect a $130,000,000.00 drone could do even better.
From the video I doubt they were using that particular style drone. It appears to be taken from a low altitude and rather close to the ship. (Notice the pan near the end of the video.)
That being said. I can easily purchase a low endurance video capable drone that will fit in the palm of my hand. And that’s a civilian model.
Video easy. And video is live-streamed back to its control center and many other locations (Wash DC, DIA, CIA, White House, etc).
But yeah-they take great video. My last duty station before I retired was a GSU and was with a reaper unit. Even though I didn’t do a lot with those guys I did enough. I sat in on classified battle staffs as a unit rep for the base. Got to see a lot of their kill shots. My favorite was when they put a hellfire through a window of a dam ISIS had taken over in N Iraq. A sniper was firing out that window onto coalition troops.
You could almost read the words on his t-shirt...until you couldn’t. ;-) So, yeah, they take very good video-real-time.
Why else would you have a drone?
Of course they do.
Thank you all for the answers. Even the sarcastic answers.
Radar?
All reports I've seen is that it was a Q-4 variant.
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