Iranian drone circles US Navy aircraft carrier for 25 minutes !

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.

Link >>

Could this be true or is it just more baseless propoganda from the Iranians ?

Iran has been working on UAV's with partner nations for some time now, but the levels of performance is surprising to say the least.

here are some details on Iranian UAV's >>

www.abovetopsecret.com...&singlepost=1775519

There are also claims that it has penitrated Israeli airspace.

[edit on 16/6/06 by Stealth Spy]

I have very hard to believe that a UAV can come even close to an american carrier... except if it is stealthy etc etc...

There was a post mentioned on another thread (can't find it now) that talked about either this incident or maybe this is a new one. This all the more likely another (there are many) propaganda crap statement by Iran. The chances of them getting this close, no way, no how, not at all.
I figure it's the usual garbage that comes from some of the middle eastern news agencies over there. In my professional and personal opinion it all hoooowy.

That thread would be this one...

www.abovetopsecret.com...

That UAV has obviously flown 3 and 1/2 times around the world by now...

Enjoy

Originally posted by lilwolf
There was a post mentioned on another thread (can't find it now) that talked about either this incident or maybe this is a new one.

Is this the thread you mean?

It's entirely possible that the drone DID make it to the carrier. Make it untracked, I SERIOUSLY doubt it. There was just no reason for the USN to shoot it down, and what's the point of launching an interceptor to shadow a UAV when you have a bunch of Burke and Ticonderoga platforms with SM-2s ready to shoot it down a lot faster than you could launch an F-18. I think the fact that the USN didn't respond the way people THINK they should have has led to the erronious conclusion that it got over the carrier unseen until well after it was on the way back to Iran.

Maybe they though twice about firing after the cock up they made with the Iranian airliner a few years ago?

It could be that, or they could have recognized it as a UAV from the point they started tracking it, and decided that it just wasn't worth it to shoot it down, and they just kept a lock on it. Really that's all they'd have to do. As long as they kept a lock on it all the way all it would take is for them to turn a key, or push a button and they'll launch a missile at it.

If its anything like Iran's Mohajer-4 were talking pretty much the equivalent of a decent RC plane not even close to a threat to Navy ship. Hizbollah flew one of those over Israel in 2004 after briefly flying city of Nahariya its crashed into the sea all on its own.

Im surprised Iran is even messing with US navy ships the last time they did that back in the 80s and one of their naval mines managed to hit a US ship the US sank half of Irans surface fleet in a single afternoon, and US tech has increased at a much faster pace the Irans has since then.

Zap why shoot it down? Just gather SIGINT, so when it really maters use some basic ECM to effectively end any "buzzing" attempt. Either that or use the AEGIS radar to fry the plane altogether, no need for an expensive SM-2 to take out a modified RC plane.

Uhm, that's what I said. All they had to do was keep a lock on it and if they decided to shoot it down it would be a simple turn of a key, or push of a button.

isnt it perhaps convenient that the Iranians have this - and just now ?

Could this be the tail wagging the dog ?

I have no Idea - but then there were WMD in Iraq - wern't there ?

This post, as mentioned, has been done and beaten to death already, has like 200 replies. Nothing new willosurface here.