So my buddy and I went shooting at the local gun range. It was a slow day and while we were outside of the lanes cleaning our pistols a guy sat down and started cleaning his. We started chatting with the guy and the conversation turned to my buddy being in Iraq earlier this year. The guy said he just got back, due to getting some shrapnel. We asked what he had been doing over there and he said he was working for the department of energy. My face read like a book and the guy could tell that I was skeptical. He badged us and the thing looked real to me (never seen a DoE badge though). I asked him what the DoE was doing in Iraq, and he pulled out his cell phone. "I mostly work with these' he said, handing me the phone. It was a picture of a UAV that looked pretty similar to the predator. It was a flat black (could have been dark green or something) and the nose was very angular. The wings were also a bit different than a predator. There was a man messing with something towards the back of the thing and using him as a reference I figured the UAV was a bit larger than the Predator. The picture was taken from what appeared to have been a raised metal platform with a rail, and the 'shop area' seemed rather large. The guy wouldn't tell us what the thing was called, and said we would hear more about it and see pictures in a year or two. I have a fair amount of experience in interrogation, and am a lot better than most at figuring out if someone is lying (thanks SETT and METT). I felt like the guy was lying about the DoE thing, but not the picture of the UAV. After some more chatting, my buddy and I had to get to a barbecue and left. Any thoughts on all this guys? What might we have been looking at? I know nothing about aircraft, and figured this was probably the best place to get some answers.

The DoE operates several UAV's including the Predator. They (or rather the Sandia NL) also developed the Lynx SAR/GMTI which has been mounted on several UAV's including the MQ-9 which is essentially a larger Predator designed around the Lynx system. The MQ-9 has been deployed to Iraq. There isn't anything really secretive about the MQ-9, so I'm not sure why you'd hear more in a year or two, though that is when IOC is slated to be reached.
Whether or not he was pulling your leg, I don't know. But there isn't anything about the story that stands out as particularly 'fishy' to me.
Could have been MQ-9, RQ-1, MQ-1C, or IGNAT all of which are related somewhat (and look somewhat similar) and have ties to Sandia as they continue to test the Lynx in field conditions.

Didn't look similar to any of those. The nose was very distinctive. It was VERY angular compared to all the pics I just looked at. My first impression of the thing was that it was a stealth. The nose was more like an arrowhead and seemed faceted. Any other thoughts?

Just a guess on my part.

If I was DoE in Iraq with UAV capable of doing more than several things, I'd fly a little more east south east and just look around or maybe even sniff here and there.

Just a thought...

Originally posted by Raustin What is the DoE doing in Iraq?

The only thing they are doing that I'm aware of is testing the Lynx radar systems in the field.
Could they have it mounted on a new airframe? Possibly.
DoE/NNSA might have a detection mission there as well, but I doubt you'd find out more about that one if it existed.