Posted on 04/11/2008 5:47:48 AM PDT by Cagey
FORT MORGAN, Ala. -- Several unmanned military drones with U.S. Air Force markings washed ashore in Alabama and forced the closure of a portion of at least one beach.
Two men on spring break in the area found the first 20-foot-long drone on the shore near Fort Morgan.
An official said the drone was a target that was apparently shot down in the Gulf of Mexico as part of a weapons system evaluation program, WKRG reported.
Beachgoers first thought the drone was a swimmer in distress or a downed aircraft.
"We couldn't tell what it was a first," a beachgoer said. "You could just see little parts of it. A wave would come and then you would see another part."
A guard was posted to protect to protect the drone at the beach.
A second drone was also found Thursday at the end of Cabana Beach, according to the Press Register newspaper.
The second discovery was near the Plantation subdivision.
An official said it was not known exactly when the drones went down but exercises usually occur 40 to 70 miles offshore.
Both had barnacles on them, suggesting they had been in the water for some time, an official said.
The drones did not pose a danger to beachgoers, officials said.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
Two men on spring break in the area found the bright-orange drone on the shore near Fort Morgan. WPMI image.
Crazier things have washed up on the beaches during spring break.
Oh, I thought WKRP was reporting on downed turkeys.
The drone in the picture doesn’t look very “shot down” to me. Must’ve been a miss.
I’m surprised they did not call it a missile or a bomb.
That sucker would have been hanging up in my family room.
Actually, that looks like one of the drones that got away.
Is that one of the old Regulus missiles that was converted to target drone duty, or are we building new drones these days?
I got a spot in the garage that could use fillin’.
Obviously, it is Bush's Fault!
Looks like a Cold War era Bomarc less wings and horizontal stabilizer
LOL!
Sweet . . . I want one.
They say there's wreckage washing up
All along the coast
No one seems to know too much
Of who got hit the most
Nothing has been spoken
There's not a lot to see
But something has been broken
That's how it feels to me
We had a harmony
I never meant to spoil
Now it's lying in the water
Like a slick of oil
The tide is running out to sea
Under a darkening sky
The night is falling down on me
And I'm thinking that I should
Head on home
Been gone too long
Leave my roaming
Beachcombing
Little wild kitten out hunting
To see what he can get
You're in a big city now
Won't stop growing yet
The sun is going down smoking
A flaming testament
Something has been broken
And it feels permanent
Little seabird flying
He knows where he wants to go
Guess I ought to pack my stuff
And do the thing I know
I turn around and head on back
Along the old sea wall
I felt something give and crack
And now I'm sorry that's all
Head on home
Been gone too long
Leave my roaming
Beachcombing
Mark Knopfler "All The Roadrunning"
Dude.......where’s my drone?
Looking at the shape of the tail, I don't think it's an MQM-107.
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