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Iran Claims To Have Downed Another US Drone

AmiMoJo writes "The Iranian military says it has captured an unmanned U.S. drone aircraft in its airspace over Gulf waters. The Revolutionary Guards said they had brought down a ScanEagle — one of the smaller, less sophisticated drones employed by the Americans. The U.S. said it was looking into the reports." (The U.S. response so far, also reported by Reuters and others, seems to be "We're not missing any drones.")

13 of 219 comments (clear)

  1. I think the inter-agency conversation went like by HPHatecraft · · Score: 5, Funny

    CIA: [sounding official] Uh, everything's under control. Situation normal.
    Pentagon: What happened?
    CIA: [getting nervous] Uh, we had a slight weapons malfunction, but uh... everything's perfectly all right now. We're fine. We're all fine here now, thank you. How are you?
    Pentagon: We're sending a squad up.
    CIA: Uh, uh... negative, negative. We had a reactor leak here now. Give us a few minutes to lock it down. Large leak, very dangerous.
    Pentagon: Who is this? What's your operating number?
    CIA: Uh...

    1. Re:I think the inter-agency conversation went like by dkleinsc · · Score: 5, Funny

      That was after another conversation that went like this:

      Pentagon: What happen?
      CIA: Somebody shot down us the drone. We get signal.
      Pentagon: Main screen turn on. It's you!
      Ahmadinajad: How are you gentlemen? All your tech are belong to us! You are on the way to destruction.
      Pentagon: What you say?
      Ahmadinajad: You have no chance to survive make your time. Ha ha ha ha!
      Pentagon: Take off every MiG. We know what you're doing. Move MiG. For great justice!

      --
      I am officially gone from /. Long live http://www.soylentnews.com/
  2. Drones? by TWX · · Score: 5, Insightful

    From the summary: "The U.S. response so far, also reported by Reuters and others, seems to be 'We're not missing any drones.'"

    How could any one entity tell? At this point there's the CIA, the FBI, the ATF, the NSA, the SS, the regular Army, the Army Rangers, the Navy, the Marines, the Seals, the Air Force, the Coast Guard, the State Department, the DoD, Mercenaries (ie "Civilian Contractors"), and Sheriff Joe Arpaio all with drones. Could any one entity speak for all of those at this point?

    --
    Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
    1. Re:Drones? by Bios_Hakr · · Score: 5, Informative

      Combined Air Operations Center. They'll know. One agency monitoring everything including, but not limited to, commercial airliners, military flights, private planes, U(C)AVs, and even (in some cases) model airplanes and rockets.

      Now, as to if the CAOC would tell Reuters anything other than the time of day, that's anyone's guess.

      --
      I'd rather you do it wrong, than for me to have to do it at all.
  3. These arn't the drones you are looking for. by DarthVain · · Score: 4, Funny

    Those aren't the drones we are looking for. Move along.

  4. Newsflash: This is not an achievement by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Why does anyone care?

    Sorry, I shouldn't be like that. So...let me get the facts straight here. A country that is well known for saber rattling without anything to back it up may or may not have shot down an incredibly slow flying, cheap, pilotless, unstealthed drone that is specifically purpose-built to get shot down so we don't have to risk more expensive planes and pilots. That's it, right?

    Just out of curiosity, how are the Kardashians doing today? I mean as long as we're acting like unimpressive bullshit is news, might as well go all the way.

    Let me know when they shoot down an F-22 Raptor or a B-2 Spirit. Until then, non-news. I mean hell, this is exactly why we use drones in the first place - so we don't have to risk either pilots or much more expensive planes to do this stuff. Let them shoot down 1,000 more for all I care. Just more american workers in american aircraft factories with more work to do. Nobody dies, and it benefits our domestic economy. By all means Iran, PLEASE, shoot down some more easy targets so we can mass-produce some more replacements for them.

    1. Re:Newsflash: This is not an achievement by canadiannomad · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Let them shoot down 1,000 more for all I care. Just more american workers in american aircraft factories with more work to do. Nobody dies, and it benefits our domestic economy.

      Please stop saying that building something with non-renewable resources and blowing it up improves the economy.
      http://economics.about.com/od/warandtheeconomy/a/warsandeconomy.htm
      or
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_broken_window

      --
      Hmm, the humour and sarcasm seem to have been be lost on you.
  5. Re:But But But "Argo" Taught Me ... by M.+Baranczak · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Actually, "Argo" gave the Guards more credit than they deserved. The movie threw in a lot of fictional Hollywood bullshit to make it look like the diplomats escaped with seconds to spare, with the Guards hot on their tails. In real life, the Guards were completely oblivious - they had no idea it happened until they saw it on TV.

  6. Re:But But But "Argo" Taught Me ... by oodaloop · · Score: 4, Funny

    Oh, please. The US may lie in the press, but it's nothing compared to what North Korea does. Our media doesn't say shit like on the day Obama was born, there was a double rainbow over the White House and a cold shiver went down Chuck Norris' spine. There's no comparison.

    --
    Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
  7. Re:Bag limit? by CanHasDIY · · Score: 4, Funny

    Wabbit season.

    --
    An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
  8. Re:Bag limit? by mrmagos · · Score: 5, Funny

    Drone season, fire!
    ...
    You're despicable.

    --
    Never start vast projects with half-vast ideas.
  9. Re:But But But "Argo" Taught Me ... by s13g3 · · Score: 4, Funny

    No... there's a lighthouse in the middle of Prussia. A white house in a, Red Square.

    I'm living in films for the sake of Russia, a kino runner for the DDR, and the 52 daughters of the Revolution turn gold to chrome.

    But seriously, lyrics to old goth songs notwithstanding... I know a lot of my fellow Americans are naive about a lot of things, but comparing our media, bad as it is, to China or Russia's, much less to North Korea's, of all places, is at best naive in the extreme, and a good sign someone has been drinking kool-aid they shouldn't be.

    --
    "Inveniemus Viam Aut Faciemus" 'We will find a way... Or we will make one!' --Hannibal of Carthage
  10. Re:But But But "Argo" Taught Me ... by cusco · · Score: 4, Interesting

    A Soviet general in the '70s told Farley Mowat (paraphrased), "The difference between our propaganda and yours is that we don't believe ours."

    --
    "Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin