"I hope these things have multiple transponders so as many pieces as possible can be found and destroyed before it gets picked up and sold to China and Russia." Too late for that. Firebee drones that were shot down/malfunctioned over China during the late 60's early 1970's were instrumental in China's own drone construction. Near copies of them are being offered by China on the world market.
USAF Predators have been falling into enemy hands for some years now. At least on of the Predators lost over Iraq last year was pictured with the fuselage near intact. Predators that were lost/shot down over Bosnia in the mid-1990s and over Yugoslavia in 1999 are now on display in the Yugoslav Aeronautical Museum.
Images of USAF Predators in the Yugoslav Museum
http://www.aeronautics.ru/img002/yu-air-museum001.jpg
http://www.aeronautics.ru/img002/mu-predator-1.jpg
Thanks for the info. That's what makes FreeRepublic such a good service. Well, as for our future drones, we better have self-destruct built in.
America is certainly less safe than it was, during the "good ol'" Cold War.