Posted on 02/08/2011 3:25:20 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
A suspected U.S. drone apparently crashed in Yemen, was recovered by local police and then stolen by al Qaida, according to AFP.
The plane was an MQ-1 Predator being used to support ongoing special operations missions against terrorists there. U.S. special ops troops have been in the country for quite some time, helping to train local security forces in fighting al Qaeda.
Yes, drones crash quite frequently in combat zones for a variety of reasons. What’s interesting here is the Yemeni government’s inability to secure the wreckage, even when it can get its hands on it.
The drone crashed in Jahayn village near Loder, in Yemen’s Abyan province where al-Qaida has a strong presence, and was found by local residents, the official told AFP.
Witnesses said residents called in police, who collected the debris.
But as they headed to a police station about 18 miles away, al-Qaida gunmen in cars intercepted the police and hijacked the wreckage.
There were no reports of casualties.
Maybe this is just a one time event, the type that often happens in combat zones or maybe this is a small sign of how tenuous a hold on power the embattled Yemeni government has in a country with a rather long history of insurgency. We’ll see what happens there in the coming months and years.
(Excerpt) Read more at defensetech.org ...
Stolen? Yeah right. More like sold.
It’s probably already on its way to China or Russia...
Hidden GPS on board?
5-4-3-2-Boom!
I wonder (hope) if these drones carry explosive charges designed to destroy sensitive navigation/security equipment, just in case the wreckage is recovered by enemy forces.
How well protected has the teck for these things been? I know other countries are making their own, they aren’t nukes or stealth, and the article says they do crash. However, the idea that it is given or sold to Iran or China and they are able to do something with it irks me.
Maybe a phony crash... think this out... they “crash” the unit in bad guy territory, knowing that the bad guys will steal it, and then the internal GPS unit tracks the route to the bad guys hideout and headquarters and transmits it in real time.
I agree.I would think that they would have a self-destruct mechanism.
Need a kill switch on those drones.
“Hidden GPS on board?”
Just what I thought. A military-grade “Lojack”.
Wouldn’t that be cool...
I agree and that is what they do.
Saw a raccoon steal an iPod once. He couldn’t figure it out either....
Russia would be my bet. They are in bed with Islamists, although China can easily bring a bigger suitcase.
“A strike on the wreckage might have been an option?”
If it has a hidden GPS on, it’s better to strike after it has been sold and while the buyer is inspecting it :).
They need to have a self-destruction mechanism on, at least for the sensitive parts (electronics?)
Of what use would the drone be to these 7th century morons?
You’re right..Russia or China.
Maybe something like Stuxnet perhaps?
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