Posted on 11/13/2006 4:52:50 PM PST by xmission
Iran says they have video shot by an unmanned drone showing a US aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf. (Hat tip: LGF readers.)
Iran’s Arabic language television station broadcast footage it claimed showed a US aircraft carrier cruising in Gulf waters it said was taken by an unmanned Iranian drone.
The brief minute-long film, which was shown on Al-Alam television’s evening news bulletin, showed wobbly aerial footage of an aircraft carrier stacked with war planes as it sailed.
The television’s anchor said the film, the property of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard, showed a vessel from “the US fleet in the Persian Gulf”.
“A source in the Revolutionary Guard said the drone carried out its mission without US fighter pilots reaching it,” the television said.
Here’s the photo. (Hat tip: Village Idiot’s Apprentice.)
(Excerpt) Read more at littlegreenfootballs.com ...
The story says they were phased out already.
I've seen that some have speculated that there are F-14s on the port bow.
I doubt it but would wish it were true, since the F-14s have been de-commissioned as far as I know.
So, if by chance those are F-14s then this pic is OLD.
Those aren't F-14s in the photo. If you click through to the video, there are some closer shots. The aircraft on the Port Bow are clearly too small to be F-14s. The aircraft on the catapult position has a Radar Dome on top.
The planes on the stern are most definately F-18s (note the angled tails) ,and the big bird on the right cat is definately a Hawkeye . But the left cat (port bow) is not clear enough to tell F-14 or F-18.
I don't think we reacted because everyone was on deck pointing and laughing.
It's just amazing what the Iranians have accomplished with balsa wood and rubber bands.
I can tell you after a rather scary experience in September fishing in the JAX area, one can be shot down if they are within 1,000 yards of any active duty ship.
We found out after our fishing guide took his boat and 3 of us within 100 yards of the JFK. Within minutes we were staring at a cocked and ready 50 caliber gun on the front of a Coastie boat.
That was when we found out about the current 1,000 yard limit.
Yes. They're gone. My point was that the article's question of whether this was footage from the past (based on F-14's being on deck) is incorrect, at least based on that premise.
F-14 wing sweep is greater on deck than in flight. Is that what you meant to say?
Congrats! You broke the internet. It won't come up now.
I laughed when I saw it on Drudge earlier. No enemy aircraft of any altitude gets that close to an aircraft carrier fleet undetected let alone un destroyed.
I am making the assumption that 5 miles is within sight. surely, at least from the bridge of an aircraft carrier, your horizon is farther out than 5 miles . . . ?
You're probably correct. I've never been at sea.
maybe the drone used the sling-shot maneuver like on Star Trek.
[Aren't F-14's being phased out of carrier duty?]
I just saw a show on History Channel that honored that last of the Tomcats leaving the last carrier near Florida. If the program was true, there are no longer any F-14s aboard any aircraft carriers in the US fleet.
....If the History Channels program is true.
I'm going with the magic carpet comment!
I can tell you from being in the Navy in the Jax area, that you aren't going to get shot down instantly for coming within 1000 yards. Flyovers in international water cannot be stopped, except if by an act of war.
100 yards to any large ship is TOO close. To a warship it is threatening and you will have weapons trained on you, as you did.
I'd venture to guess that the carrier knew of the drone's presence, didn't deem it a threat because they would have been able to tell if it was armed, and since it was not flying AT the ship, they let it ride. Same with the Chinese sub. All hell would have broken loose if the sub had fired on the carrier, but it didn't, and they weren't expected to do so. Chinese subs are not exactly stealthy, so it wasn't like the carrier didn't know it was coming.
A boat on the ocean is a different story. If a boat was hurtling toward any US ship, at this point in time, and didn't halt when ordered to do so, it would be reduced to an oil slick in a matter of seconds.
Shouldn't a number be visible on the flight deck?
I was told a few years back, that the only reason
that the F-14 Tomcat had not yet been phased out,
was because it was the only fighter in our arsenal
that could deliver a small strategic nuke....JJ61
[Well, you'd be wrong...
We're not going to go lighting up all of our radars and launching million dollar missiles at a photo-recon drone. It's not like our presence there is a big secret, anyway.]
At the risk of sounding argumentative, and admitting I have no military background (other than being the 139th canidate rejected from the freshman class of 1992), I don't believe Iran has the technology to "sneak" a drone into a carrier fleets immediate air space. If our technology is so sophisticated as to identify the threat and disregard the risk, then I am going to need some convincing. I suspect it is ancient footage that will probably be found on the internet here shortly.
Good point. I suppose it would actually be a good thing to make the enemy think that they could sneak up on us.
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