http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htairfo/articles/20090319.aspx

I’m dubious. Using a drone to scout out smuggling routes sounds like something the USA would do, not the Mad Dog Mullahs. In that part of the world, they would be more likely to bride the border guards. Been doing that for thousands of years and it works well. Especially if you know where the border guard lives and can deliver a head shot to a family member if something goes wrong.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ababil
It is programmable to go to a waypoint and return. I think somebody put in the wrong waypoint and they didn’t notice until it was to late to change it. So they were hoping it got back within com range to change the way point. After looking at the specs, this would be a good platform for hunting Delta Force or LURPs teams in the mountains of Iran.
The whole thing smells so fishy that there is certain to be more here then meets the eye.
UAV’s don’t just wander around. Why shoot it down? An F-16 going past at Mach 1.2 would tear it apart, which would be a much better way of knocking it down. Bullets ALWAYS fall to earth somewhere. Why take a chance on a 20mm HE shell shredding some 4 year old playing in his back yard, 14,000 feet below you and 2 miles away? Messages are sent in many ways in the Middle East.

What the Messiah will do with the possible implications of this we will have to see, but the message attached to this drone wasn’t friendly, that’s for sure. Time for the new guys in town to put their best thinking hats on…

http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=267.0

The problem with stealing tech instead of developing your own is that when a paradigm shift comes along, you are left on the outside looking in. The Russians and the Chi-coms will have to wait until the technology is mature then try and steal it.
That won’t be very effective in some areas, since something like stealth consists of hundreds of interlocking technologies that have to be stolen individually.
The bottleneck for UAV’s is the engine technology. That in turn depends on manufacturing a small, powerful, jet engine.
The Euros are close behind the USA in that field and the Sov….er, Russians are trying to steal or buy the tech from them. What they are doing in the meantime is equipping small, commuter size aircraft with remote controls. Very easy to detect and shoot down.
Getting as far as it did is a reflection on the C&C link. It took a while for somebody with stars to get up off their fat arse and make a decision.
Iran could shoot down some of our UAV’s and the might have already done so. It is harder for them because they don’t have very good radar coverage. A shortage of both technicians and equipment. Not to mention most of their fighter jets are down and they have few pilots.

Absolutely. As to whether it was intentional (a wrong mistake) or not is another issue. It doesn’t make any sense. Of course, what is irrational to a westerner might make perfect sense to a Mad Dog Mullah (hereafter MDM).
From ta military POV, the Russians can’t build drones that are good for anything except spotting targets for artillery. The Drone was beyond the range of any Iranian artillery.
Were they trying to intimidate someone? Russian drones don’t carry anything like the Hellfire or the Spike. Russians don’t have any weapons like JADAMS or JSOW to mount on a drone. All they have are cameras.
It sounds like the MDM is upset by all the US drones flying over Iran, looking at the camps where the Quds Force is training terrorists.
Bush never had the ‘nads to turn the Cylons loose on the MDM, but maybe the Usurper has.
After all, the Usurper had the sand to steal the entire United States of America. That takes brass ones the size of basketballs. Everybody is mad at Madoff, and he just conned a few thousand people out of a few million dollars. The Usurper has conned a few hundred million people out of an entire nation. I guess Al Capone was correct when he said if you break the law, make it worthwhile. Big Al made his mark in Chicago, just like someone else we know.

I’m sure what really caught Iran’s attention was the non-confrontational language from Iraqi and our officials. I think that they have our leadership’s psychological profile pretty well in hand.

Was the incident a simple Iranian “mistake” — or the prelude to a U.S. military nightmare? — Annie Jacobson

Bring the idiots on. We can make the famous ‘Highway of Death’ from GW I look like a valet parking at a rock concert.

As for the Iranian intentions, I think they’re stupid enough to try to attack US in Iraq if Israel takes out their nuclear weapons program.

Regards,

Chuck(le)
P.S. The BIG question is, ‘Why do they hate US if Obama has been elected President of the United States?’

I thought everyone in the world would ‘love’ US. All the people who voted for Obama told me they would. Did they ‘lie’ to me?

It’s all over now!

DoubleTapper
DoubleTapper@gmail.com
DoubleTapper, blogging on Guns Politics Defense from Israel

http://www.janes.com/news/defence/jdw/jdw081125_1_n.shtml

The photo’d one appears very similar to one Israeli produced, but then a question of “Why?” would seem to be in order.

http://blog.wired.com/defense/2007/11/israels-spy-dro.html

I recall seeing something about a certain NATO “partner” selling a version of an advanced UAV to Russia prior to that Georgia thing. If only I could remember where I saw it.