Report: Iran says it can control the drone

CNN ^ | 12/13/11

[Libloather]

Report: Iran says it can control the drone
By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 5:29 AM EST, Tue December 13, 2011

(CNN) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday his country can "control" the U.S. drone aircraft that Iran claims it recently brought down, Venezuelan state TV reported.

"There are people here who can control this spy plane, surely we can analyze this plane too," Ahmadinejad told VTV. "The systems of Iran are as advanced as this system."

President Barack Obama said Monday that the United States has asked Iran to return the drone aircraft that Iran claims it recently brought down in Iranian territory.

"We've asked for it back. We'll see how the Iranians respond," Obama said.

Will Iran share stealth tech with China? Ahmadinejad comments to VTV seemed to suggest that Iran did not have plans to return the aircraft.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

The alternative to a drone.

[Bigh4u2]

“That was me smacking my forehead with my hand.”

At least it’s a step in the right direction..

[ILS21R]

They’ve never shown the bottom of it. It’s hidden by ridiculous tarps. If I was the bad guy, I’d show every square inch of it. Even if the bottom was damaged, I’d still show it.

Somebody is trying to dupe us.

[dynoman]

I thought it looked tan, it looks white in some pictures;




Here's what the RQ-170 looks like in US colors;

[Cringing Negativism Network]

An official request was made for its return.

That request was refused.

Now America should simply take it back. However necessary. It was attacked, if this is war, then it is war. This is rapidly becoming another Iran hostage situation.

Obama is Carter. All over again.

[MarkL]

Ahhh, if I had any photoshop skills, I'd graft Obama's head onto the scene from the movie "Oliver," when Oliver Twist went back for seconds of breakfast gruel, asking, "Please Sir, may I have my drone back?"

Our bowing president took it to a new low, appearing to grovel before Iran, begging for them to return the drone.

Mark

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I believe that it is tamper proof, or at least tamper resistant. Military GPS receivers have keys that are good for one year. If compromised, if they fall into hostile hands, the hardware is useful, but you “cannot” recover the key from the hardware, or so we assume. I “assume” that this thing is pretty tamper resistant and of relatively low value to someone who does not have the cypher keys. If the Iranians can control it, that indicates that they have our cypher keys, which is disturbing because the only way the could possibly have obtained the keys is by a spy in our operation. I was wondering what Airman Mohammad Pahlavi was doing in that closed chamber with all those CDROMs.

[dynoman]

Not only is the color wrong, the size is too. Note the size compared to the Iranian soldiers, then note the specs of the RQ-170;

[aruanan]

Not only is the color wrong, the size is too. Note the size compared to the Iranian soldiers, then note the specs of the RQ-170;

Neither the color nor the size is off. You're mistaking weird color balance in a photo for color in an artist's rendition. The size in the scale drawing you provided is consistent with the Iranians in the photo who are not standing near the nose of the drone but closer to the camera.

[dynoman]

Look at the height in this picture. Maybe it's not sitting on the landing gear but the height doesn't seem to match the specs.

[dfwgator]

A clever ploy to get Iranians to die laughing.

The Iranian reaction to the request.

[Vinnie]

....a major virus is set free....

Let's hope you're correct.

Our giving Iran the technology via a controlled landing would require orders from above and several military officers and techs.
Can't see that happening.
If Iran was given control info prior, then maybe.

A failsafe method of self destruction should be required on these drones.
Lose comm, BOOM.

[dynoman]

Another height/color problem;

[SparkyBass]

"Yeah, I can match that color. Look, I TOLD ya I will paint ANYTHING for $99!"

[Cringing Negativism Network]

We still have plenty of self-destruct mechanisms for that plane.

So. Launch one.

Iran’s been given the formal request to return it. They’re refused.

Now destroy it. With whatever necessary to get that job done.

[aruanan]

Another height/color problem;

Again, you have no way of knowing the relative distances from the camera of the drone and the guy. Also, the landing gear is shrouded. It may not even be deployed and supporting the craft in this photo at the height shown in the schematic.

[dynoman]

The last two pictures in post 44 are real life photographs not artist’s renditions. The color is different - do an image search to see. You could be right about the size...

[ILS21R]

Also, the landing gear is shrouded

Why would they do that?

[Moonman62]

Maybe we landed it there on purpose.....maybe it’s gathering data.....you never know.....

It's hard not to think that there is more to this story.

[Tallguy]

Going all hellfire and sending in troops and warplanes after a pilotless drone negates the value of a pilotless drone.

Ordinarily that would be true, but in this case the drone wasn't far over the border. They should have taken the opportunity -- in this case -- to obliterate it. We spend 100's of millions developing prototype craft like this and we don't take the opportunity to safeguard the technology for a little while longer? Now it will be cheaply reverse-engineered and be used against us.