Drone Crash in Iran Reveals Secret U.S. Surveillance Effort

The New York Times ^ | December 7, 2011 | Scott Shane and David E. Sanger

[2ndDivisionVet]

The stealth C.I.A. drone that crashed deep inside Iranian territory last week was part of a stepped-up surveillance program that has frequently sent the United States’ most hard-to-detect drone into the country to map suspected nuclear sites, according to foreign officials and American experts who have been briefed on the effort.

Until this week, the high-altitude flights from bases in Afghanistan were among the most secret of many intelligence-collection efforts against Iran, and American officials refuse to discuss it. But the crash of the vehicle, which Iranian officials said occurred more than 140 miles from the border with Afghanistan, blew the program’s cover.

The overflights by the bat-winged RQ-170 Sentinel, built by Lockheed Martin and first glimpsed on an airfield in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in 2009, are part of an increasingly aggressive intelligence collection program aimed at Iran, current and former officials say. The urgency of the effort has been underscored by a recent public debate in Israel about whether time is running out for a military strike to slow Iran’s progress toward a nuclear weapon.....

[2ndDivisionVet]

Why wasn't it destroyed or recovered?

[Roccus]

What “crash”? Images from Iran showed an intact vehicle.

[Noob1999]

.........drone that crashed deep inside Iranian territory .......

Deep? I thought that it was near the Afgan border.

I seriously don’t understand why a drone does not have a “black box” like all airliners have, that includes a GPS transponder, and a few pounds of plastic explosive to blow the drone to hell when nesessary!

[Reddy]

Zero gave the order that it not be recovered or destroyed.

His gift to the Chinese.

[jonrick46]

They are trying to spin it. The web is faster than their spin.

[Roccus]

To "crash" and look like this

it must be made of indestructium.

[Jonty30]

I can’t wait to see what the media does with this.

How much more can they stretch their credibility further.

[JSteff]

What “crash”? Images from Iran showed an intact vehicle.

Was that one the one that supposedly "flew" into Iran and was shot down on that mission? Is it possible that is another one someone conveniently had "flown" to Iran to expose our technology? Whole and undamaged?

So one is shot down < /not >, but did that even matter? Was the shoot down a cover story to cover up another perfect transfer of our U.A.V. technology (a whole undamaged U.A.V.?)

Maybe the whole thing was a plan from the beginning to get that technology into our enemies hands.

Didn't O just come back from a trip and talk with the Chinese? Was trade all he really talked about? The gang in D.C. is not to be trusted at all. Got to wonder who really made out on this deal.

So O got his campaign contributions from both China and Iran? Just in time to fund (along with the "stimulus kick backs") O's presidential election campaign for 2012!

$ux to be U.S. with O in office, huh?

[21twelve]

“Why a drone does not have a “black box” like all airliners have, that includes a GPS transponder, and a few pounds of plastic explosive..”

Okay - now I’m REALLY not going flying again! ;)

[DISCO]

Remember Madam Notsobright? “We should not be the only superpower.” There’s your answer. Commies think the same. The Commiecrats still control the Government with help from our enempt Pubies. Time to clean house of the voted for life Congresscritters. Santorum and Bachman are the clearest choices. Both did well in the bebates IMOP!

[Glenn]

Some think it was hacked. I can't imagine that being the case. Something this sophisticated would certainly use encrypted protocols for control. It's not autonomous. Someone was driving it.

Maybe landing was the reaction to a loss of control from jamming or something broken on the bird.

We should have blasted it.

[Hugin]

I think all our spy drones over Iran should be equiped with tactical nuclear self destruct devices that go off if the plane stops flying.

They should also be kept over Iran’s nuke sites 24/7.

[BIGLOOK]

Why wasn't it destroyed or recovered?

Why would it break it's sat controlled tether and auto land over target?

It's range isn't the question, it's controllers are.

[juma]

I am waiting breathlessly for the most important response from the White House to explain why we are the most inept military since 2008 .

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

Another example of Obama’s cowardice and treason.

[Jonty30]

Sucks to be the airman that was flying that drone.

He’s likely going to be hung out to dry.

[Jonty30]

I don’t believe it was a mistake. I assume the procedure, if it turns out that the drone cannot get back to base is to drive it in the ground to remove its operational capability.

Not land it gently.

I’d like to know if any of Obama’s appointees was in position to either fly it or give an order to fly it and land it.

[mylife]

The 3rd option is that we have a traitor in the white house and that he has a band of complicate bastards throughout government.

[mylife]

Its a head scratcher.