Posted on 05/31/2006 4:19:10 AM PDT by Flavius
TEHRAN, May 30 (RIA Novosti) - A pilotless Iranian reconnaissance plane circled for 25 minutes over a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf before returning safely to its base, a senior Iranian official said Tuesday.
"Our pilotless reconnaissance plane flew over the USS Ronald Reagan in the Persian Gulf unnoticed to the Americans for 25 minutes," the official said, according to Iran's Fars agency.
He did not say when the flight took place, but added that U.S. radars picked up the unmanned aerial vehicle after 25 minutes, and that four USAF fighters and two helicopters were scrambled to intercept it. However, the Iranian plane had already crossed the border back into Iran and landed at its base.
"This points to holes in the U.S. military reconnaissance systems deployed in the Persian Gulf," the Iranian official said.
I'm looking forward to the military response...
Does this ship not have a Phalanx system or did they not want to waste the ammo on balsa wood drones?
U seriously doubt it. I think something was lost in the translation. More accurately:
Iranian with buzz drones about US carrier in Persian Gulf
"Our pilotless reconnaissance plane flew over the USS Ronald Reagan in the Persian Gulf unnoticed to the Americans for 25 minutes
Why am I not believing this?"
Well, I believe it. If we can lose 100's of trucks leaving Iraq for Syria days before the war(Powell showed the world the satellite pictures) I believe that we could lose a Iranian super secret spy drone.
We use spitwads on those.
I remember these. Didn't you love them as a kid?.
The purpose of a mission like this is to get our ships to light up the active defense systems and gather electronic intelligence. Sometimes you just let the other guy take pretty pictures rather than revealing your capabilities.
As much fun as it is to shoot drones out of the sky, if they pose no threat, there is no sense in giving away information on your defense capabilities and systems for free.
What the Navy needs is a quick-n-dirty response to this sort of thing. Once a drone like this has been detected (and it certainly was detected), it should be dispatched with a visually aimed heat-seeking MANPADS from one of the outlying ships or some such thing. That way we don't give away information, but we still assert our position.
Does anyone else remember the Japanese "RTF - ready to fly" planes from before WW2 which were actually constructed with soldered wire framework, stamped metal wheels, and had wings covered with real silk? They were a fair likeness of an old 1910 Bleriot and really could fly in a clumsy way. I think they sold for 10 cents (at real Dime Stores back then).
How very sporting of them to let us know what they are doing.
Yeah, that sounds like typical procedure. Announce to a potential opponent your capabilities. Seems more likely some bright boy in the propaganda department dreamed this story up.
Unnoticed? Hey,I didn't know that Iranians have such a light hearted sense of humor.And to think that I've seen them as being nothing more than 9th Century knuckledraggers.
The whole article is bogus
Total Bull.
Well, as I understand it, the moosies believe that lying to the infidels gets them closer to Allah.
Baghdad Bob, meet Teharan Tim!
Mark
Drone Iranian numb-mind readers know exactly how long all our military personnel notice or fail to notice everything. Just ask 'ImMadinTheHead'......he knows everything.
Actual vessel involved in Iranian drone 25 minute flyover
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