How Iran hacked super-secret CIA stealth drone

O.K. the U.S. knows about a flaw in the security of the Drones we fly around the world (even here) yet the idiots in charge do nothing!

Iran, takes advantage of this by jamming the system on board a RQ-170 drone and basically taking control of it!

Nice goin idiots, what a way to make the U.S. look stupid with technology; by being fucking lazy!

RT
More damage is being dished out to the US intelligence community as sources in Iran admit to hacking the CIA’s lost drone and bringing it down with not much more than computer navigating know-how.
Engineers with the Iranian military are admitting to the Christian Science Monitor that the dramatic disappearance of a multi-million dollar stealth drone aircraft suffered by the United States two weeks ago was indeed a result of their own doing, claiming now that they managed to hijack the system inside the craft with ease and bring it to a safe landing without incident.
The United States originally denied they lost a drone over Iran before changing their story and insisting that they lost contact with the craft during a surveillance mission over neighboring Afghanistan. Iranian officials quickly corrected Americans by displaying footage of the spy-plane and revealing that it was apprehended over 100 miles from the country’s border with Afghanistan.
RT has reported throughout the ordeal that the downing of the drone could have resulted from a budding cyber war between American and Iranian intelligence. Now officials overseas are insisting that they did indeed hack the craft to quietly bring it down.
Speaking to the CSM, an engineer responsible for the interception speaking on condition of anonymity says that technicians managed to hack into the craft’s GPS navigation, which the official describes as “weak.”

Iran Makes New Claim It Downed U.S. Drone

If the drone that went down is an RQ-170, and if it is largely, or partially, intact, it is possible that the technological secrets of the advanced aircraft could be compromised.

Not good, but I don't think Iran is smart enough to do anything with the technology in the RQ-170 within the next 10-20 years or so; they just ain't that bright.


the wall street journal
Iran said on Sunday that it shot down a U.S. stealth drone near the country's eastern border, but U.S. officials in Afghanistan said the craft could instead be an unmanned reconnaissance plane that veered off course and crashed last week.

Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency quoted a military official who said Tehran had downed an RQ-170 Sentinel, the U.S. Air Force's stealth drone.

U.S. and NATO officials wouldn't say what kind of American drone had disappeared, but U.S. officials said there was no indication that the aircraft had been shot down by the Iranians. One American official said the drone likely suffered from a mechanical failure.

American officials said they believe that after the remote pilots lost control of the aircraft, the drone crashed in an unknown location.

Robot Hummingbird Spy Drone Flies for Eight Minutes, Spies on Bad Guys

Very sweet.
Do Hummingbirds hang out in the Middle east?





Foxnews
Pentagon researchers have taken robots for a science fiction spin, building a robotic hummingbird that's ideal for covert surveillance.

A year and a half ago, we saw our first look at the hummingbird drone from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a teeny robotic spyplane inspired by the mid-air dexterity of the hummingbird. But now we've got a video of the drone in action, much more capable and with the ability to do its acrobatics for much longer.

The drone, built by AeroVironment with funding from DARPA, is able to fly forwards, backwards, and sideways, as well as rotate clockwise and counterclockwise. Not only does the 'bot resemble its avian inspiration in size (it's only slightly larger than a hummingbird, with a 6.5-inch wingspan and a weight of 19 grams), it also looks impressively like a hummingbird in flight.

The drone can currently fly for about eight minutes, impressive considering that range was only 20 seconds a short two years ago. But the engineers aren't satisfied, branding the current drone a prototype and continuing to work on it. Within a decade, says AeroVironment's project manager, this drone could easily be counted on to carry out complex and difficult reconnaissance missions.

Iran says 2 downed spy planes were US-operated

Foxnews
Iran says it has determined that two pilotless spy planes it claims to have downed were operated by the United States. An Iranian official says authorities will publicly display them.

The Revolutionary Guard's air force said earlier this month that it shot down two highly advanced spy planes that had violated Iranian airspace. It provided no proof.

The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, which is based in the Gulf, said at the time that it had no reports of any aircraft downed recently.

Mexican drone crashes in Texas during test

The official did not know whether Mexican law enforcement or military officials were operating the aircraft, but said that the Mexican government was using it for surveillance of the border

Or maybe it is being used to help all those undocumented workers slip past the U.S. Border Patrol!
It's just a thought, You know.
What the hell is the Mexican government trying to keep their eyes on?



Nothing fancy here, I've seen better.





MSNBC
A small unmanned Mexican drone that crashed into a backyard in El Paso, Texas, was part of a surveillance test by Mexican authorities that ended abruptly when operators lost control of the aircraft, a U.S. security official told NBC News on Friday.

The Department of Homeland Security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the 7-foot-long Orbiter Mini UAV drone flew off course during the test on Tuesday, then veered into Texas airspace and crashed behind a house in El Paso's former agricultural area, where homes are typically built on 1-acre lots. No one was hurt.

The official did not know whether Mexican law enforcement or military officials were operating the aircraft, but said that the Mexican government was using it for surveillance of the border, NBC News reported.

Iran unveils long-range drone to counter "aggressors"

Reuters has left out one thing though , The Drone is called The "Ambassador of Death" .
So When you read this ...

"If there is an ignorant person or an egoist or a tyrant who just wanted to make an aggression then our Defense Ministry should reach a point where it could cut off the hand of the aggressor before it decided to make an aggression,"

It Kinda takes on a Different meaning !



(Reuters) - Iran unveiled a prototype long-range unmanned bomber on Sunday, the latest in a stream of announcements of new Iranian-made military hardware as tension mounts over its nuclear programme.

On a stage in front of military officials, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad pulled a sheet away from the aircraft, called the Karrar, which Iran says is its first long-range drone.

With the United States and Israel saying they do not rule out a military strike to stop Iran getting a nuclear bomb, the Islamic Republic has showed off new mini-submarines, a surface-to-surface missile and announced plans to launch high altitude satellites over the next three years.

The presentation of the drone came a day after Iranian and Russian technicians began fuelling Iran's first nuclear power station, something Israel called "totally unacceptable."

High- Ranking Al Qaida leader Reportedly Killed

Absolutely Awesome ! I hope they keep expanding on the predator strikes , they seem the only thing that really gets the " Big Guys " .
Just a little curious about the newly revealed RQ-170 "The beast of Khandahar " Or the Sentinal ( Yes it is Official now ) , They say that the "R" designation stands for purely operational , Troop Support , That's great .

Obama Recently announced that the U.S. will increase the Predator drone Attacks throughout Pakistan And into Baluchistan Afghanistan ! also Extremely great .

So is the Beast of Khandahar purely for "Recon" Purposes to support this ? Probably , But from the Looks of this BadAss Drone , it could be Modified With Weapons
After all the predator was purely for Recon When it was first introduced !




Either way Dead Bad Guys !

....FoxNews
A high-ranking Al Qaeda figure reportedly was killed Thursday in a U.S. drone aircraft attack in north Pakistan.

The attack, first reported by NBC News, was officially denied by Pakistani officials, though sources told Fox News that neither Usama bin Laden or Ayman al-Zawahiri were among those killed.

Pakistani media report six militants were killed in the attack, including four foreign fighters, a classification in the tribal areas that typically refers to Al Qaeda.

The attack was part of the expanded use of Predator drones recently authorized by the White House, sources told Fox News, though the drone attacks, which began during the Bush Administration, never have been officially confirmed because of political sensitivity in Pakistan.

The Obama administration reportedly is talking with Pakistan about expanding the program from Waziristan to Baluchistan, a controversial move since it is outside the tribal areas near the Afghanistan border.

Baluchistan is where Afghan Taliban leaders are believed to be hiding.

The administration's decision corresponds with Obama's announcement last week to send 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, lawmakers lashed out at Pakistan last week as an unreliable ally in the Afghan war that could spare the U.S. its bruising fight with Al Qaeda if it wanted.

"They don't seem to want a strategic relationship," New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez said of the government in Islamabad. "They want the money. They want the equipment. But at the end of the day, they don't want a relationship that costs them too much."

A crucial ally in fighting the Al Qaeda terrorist network, Pakistan is also a major recipient of U.S. aid. President Obama and Congress recently approved a $7.5 billion aid package for economic and social programs in Pakistan in a bid to strengthen the civilian government there.

But many in Congress have grown skeptical that Islamabad is doing all it can to drive out Al Qaeda forces hiding along its mountainous Afghan border.