19 replies to this topic

[KudosBot]

Mysterious bird-like drone may have popped up in both Iraq and Pakistan, origin still unknown

The quite strange unarmed bird-like drone which was recovered by Pakistani forces in August of 2011 apparently did not just fly over Pakistan, but was also apparently spotted by Iraqi insurgents at least two years before making its way to Pakistan.

One might jump to the conclusion that the drone belongs to the United States since the U.S. is involved a great deal of drone operations in Pakistan – which the Pakistani parliament has unanimously declared must end. It also appears to be similar to some of the drone projects which are leaning towards designs influenced by birds and insects.

A reader of The Aviationist tipped them off to a video posted on May 28, 2009 showing the drone captured by the Iraqi Hezbollah in Iraq which is eerily similar to the drone which was captured in Pakistan.

The provenance of the drone is shrouded in a thick veil of mystery since no nation would take responsibility for the device which has, according to Danger Room, “silver wings and a span about the size of a grown man’s outstretched arms, the drone was clearly more than a hobbyist’s toy: the remains of a camera were near the crash site, a camera that fit into the robotic bird’s belly, ostensibly for spying on insurgents.”



Danger Room points out that the drone is quite similar to, but definitely not exactly the same as, Festo’s “SmartBird” drone.

The dimensions of the two drones are similar and the designs obviously look alike as well; although, “It’s clearly not the same drone, as the wings are obviously different: the mystery drone’s wings are straighter and more sharply angled than the SmartBird’s sleeker, more rounded wings, which mimic those of the gull,” according to Danger Room.

The nation or entity behind the drone is difficult to determine outside from speculation based on the nations currently involved in operations in Pakistan.

However, Danger Room seems to think it belong so the United States in writing:
Iraqi Hezbollah date its photos of the mystery drone to May 2009 in Basra, a major city in southern Iraq. Back then, U.S. troops were training their Iraqi counterparts on new-line intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems. Hmm.
While the video and screenshots don’t reveal any new technical information on the drone, it does show that the drone in Iraq and that in Pakistan are closely related.


Both have a design which relies on flapping wings, a trapezoidal tail feather and a spherical camera placed in the belly of the bird.

However, the drone recovered in Pakistan has a tailfin on the underside of the rear feather which the drone in Iraq is missing; and the version found in Iraq is a duller color than the reflective silver drone in Pakistan.

“The fact that it was probably already flying in Iraq two years before crashing in Pakistan, proves that the bird-like UAV is not a toy but a small combat proven spy drone,” writes The Aviationist’s David Cenciotti.

This deals a significant blow to those who have repeatedly claimed that it was actually just a DIY drone, evidenced by Danger Room tagging the latest post with “DIY Drones.”

However, since we really have no idea who made the drone or who was operating it, one cannot say with certainty that it is not a DIY creation of some group somewhere, although I find this quite unlikely.

That being said, it wouldn’t be all that damaging for the United States to confirm that it is our drone given that we are already running deadly drone operations around the globe.

Ultimately, it’s impossible to speculate on the issue with any degree of certainty since we know very little about the drone and its origin, but it will be fascinating to see if more information comes out or if more appearances of the strange device begin to surface.

[KudosBot]

http://endthelie.com.../#axzz26mQfwM7v

[Dizasta]

Drone is owned and operated by private mercenary corporations which are operating indiscriminately in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and even in Syria. It's presence in Pakistan rings ominous alarm bells that mercenary corporations like XE Corp (Black Water), are increasing their activities on the Western Borders of Pakistan. The technology that is available out there, is pretty much accessible to anyone who has the money to buy it. Hence, these western mercenary-group corporations, operating under the banner of Private Security Firms, will employ tech which is developed privately and the parts are not traceable to any particular country.

[rungroot]

Pretty old news, this thing cropped up 3 years ago as well...

[shabi1]

Already had a crash in Pakistan
http://www.wired.com...es-in-pakistan/

[Caesar]

This is nothing ..... US has drones and military technology in the form of Birds, insects, fish, etc in hundreds roaming all over the globe gathering information. Their spy technology looks and feels exactly like a real life Bird, or fish or inspects. The skin is a very advance soft material capable of handling all sort of temperatures.

THERE IS NOTHING ON EARTH PRESENTLY THAT CAN EVEN COME CLOSE TO US TECHNOLOGY WHICH IS AT LEAST 50 years head of all countries. China, Russia, Europe are just little kids when compared to US. Despite the most hated nation of Earth I have to say US is a truly remarkable nation. ..... just very. very advance in military technology.

[gnak]

Caesar, on 18 September 2012 - 02:35 AM, said:

This is nothing ..... US has drones and military technology in the form of Birds, insects, fish, etc in hundreds roaming all over the globe gathering information. Their spy technology looks and feels exactly like a real life Bird, or fish or inspects. The skin is a very advance soft material capable of handling all sort of temperatures.

THERE IS NOTHING ON EARTH PRESENTLY THAT CAN EVEN COME CLOSE TO US TECHNOLOGY WHICH IS AT LEAST 50 years head of all countries. China, Russia, Europe are just little kids when compared to US. Despite the most hated nation of Earth I have to say US is a truly remarkable nation. ..... just very. very advance in military technology.

its not the usa its nsa

nsa does not work for the betterment of usa

nsa works for the international jewish banker families

[BaburMissile]

Caesar, on 18 September 2012 - 02:35 AM, said:

This is nothing ..... US has drones and military technology in the form of Birds, insects, fish, etc in hundreds roaming all over the globe gathering information. Their spy technology looks and feels exactly like a real life Bird, or fish or inspects. The skin is a very advance soft material capable of handling all sort of temperatures.

THERE IS NOTHING ON EARTH PRESENTLY THAT CAN EVEN COME CLOSE TO US TECHNOLOGY WHICH IS AT LEAST 50 years head of all countries. China, Russia, Europe are just little kids when compared to US. Despite the most hated nation of Earth I have to say US is a truly remarkable nation. ..... just very. very advance in military technology.

The last time I heard and saw, the Iranians landed a state of the art Yankee drone without a scratch. Let's not exaggerate things here. Yes, the Yanks are ahead, but to suggest that they're invincible is foolish. Never underestimate the opposing force. We live in a different world today. We live in a multipolar world. The concept of one or more states gaining enough power to claim the superpower status is antiquated. The Yanks could have been so much more remarkable had they not invaded, occupied and slaughtered other nations for greed. Instead, the Yanks are no different to tyrants which have come and long gone. History certainly isn't going to judge the Yanks any differently. It takes much more than just being technologically ahead of the rest to be truly remarkable.

[blueazure]

+1

^^  technology 'demonstration' in the form of drones is a by product of a mere requirement ( nature of wars in afghan and iraq ) .  many nations have parallel programmes of various degree.

plus there is nothing cutting edge about drones as such , its just a remote platform with clever optics ( the real thing ) . the area where US had a visible lead was micro electronics and that too is going away

[Caesar]

You guys have a habbit of belittling everything because you think with your emotions not your brains. The other day someone posted evidence of US Cloaking technology used by ordinary Soldiers, and some dick.head tried to potray as if every dick and harry had 'Cloaking' technology on every street corner!! LOL

You like it or not US is very unique Superpower, Father of many modern technologies which just a few years back did not even exist. I am now convinced that US will continue to be a Dominant Technological and military Superpower for at least this Century if not more. Rise of China and other countries is a mere hype - they will also be second best. They will always play catch up to US, they will always try to IMITATE USA. And IMITATORS can never be Leaders and Dominant Superpower of this planet. Full Stop.

[BaburMissile]

Caesar, on 18 September 2012 - 06:42 AM, said:

You guys have a habbit of belittling everything because you think with your emotions not your brains. The other day someone posted evidence of US Cloaking technology used by ordinary Soldiers, and some dick.head tried to potray as if every dick and harry had 'Cloaking' technology on every street corner!! LOL

You like it or not US is very unique Superpower, Father of many modern technologies which just a few years back did not even exist. I am now convinced that US will continue to be a Dominant Technological and military Superpower for at least this Century if not more. Rise of China and other countries is a mere hype - they will also be second best. They will always play catch up to US, they will always try to IMITATE USA. And IMITATORS can never be Leaders and Dominant Superpower of this planet. Full Stop.

That's funny. First of all, you didn't even answer one of my previous questions. Care to elaborate how a technologically superior drone can be landed with such ease by the Iranians? Mind you, a stealthy beast. Secondly, if there's anyone underestimating here it's you. The fact that you have to use caps and bold fonts to make your point is enough testimony. You claim that the Americans are all powerful, invincible and unbeatable. Seriously, think again. The world doesn't work like that. The US isn't invincible or a dominant superpower. Ordinary Americans have to work triple shifts just to feed their children and pay off debts. Just ask an American mother. The US has trillions worth of debt. Currently, the debt held by the American public approximately amounts to $11.27 trillion or about 72% of the GDP. Not to mention trillions worth of debt held by government accounts. The Americans owe billions of dollars to China and other nations around the world. Also, American standing and credibility in the world has diminished significantly. Especially, when the Americans decide to wage greedy unilateral wars for resources and occupy sovereign nations. America is an irresponsible and greedy power. America doesn't differ from the brutal Roman empire. It kills innocent people without remorse and acts like the beacon of freedom and democracy. There's nothing flamboyant or remarkable about America. Period. As for China, the fact that American generals and politicians consider it to be a daunting rival should suggest something. I only got this to say to you. We should worry about our own mess before lecturing others about how weak or strong they are.

[Caesar]

It is not my job to give you a lecture on what US is capable off nor do I have time to write pages and pages on why US is what it is  .... you need to properly analyse and understand the ground realities and put one and one together. You need to understand that R & D budget of some US universities is a big as whole of Pakistan's budget. US's biggest weapon is its KNOWLEDGE it has gained spanning over a century; and there is no one that can match that. As I said COPYCATS can only be COPYCATS not leaders!! And China and others are just COPYCATS. Pakistan is not even on the list.

[gnak]

forget about the technology aspect of usa

it is still the worlds strongest army

Quote

America's Hunters. The World's Largest Army.

The total population of registered hunters in America today is ranging from 23 million to 43.7 million individuals.

so its safe to assume ~50million ppl in america owns guns

and unlike australia they are not restricted to only shotgun and boltaction centerfire rifles

and the scary thing is most of the gun owners in usa really know how to shoot unlike the folks in the free syria army...

[blueazure]

what has gun owner ship got to do with US power status ?

gnak, please dont be naive, come visit Pakistan sometimes, ill show you what gun owner ship is

----

[gnak]

blueazure, on 19 September 2012 - 03:22 AM, said:

what has gun owner ship got to do with US power status ?

gnak, please dont be naive, come visit Pakistan sometimes, ill show you what gun owner ship is

----

thats probably the number one fear india has of Pakistan lol

[BaburMissile]

Caesar, on 19 September 2012 - 02:43 AM, said:

It is not my job to give you a lecture on what US is capable off nor do I have time to write pages and pages on why US is what it is  .... you need to properly analyse and understand the ground realities and put one and one together. You need to understand that R & D budget of some US universities is a big as whole of Pakistan's budget. US's biggest weapon is its KNOWLEDGE it has gained spanning over a century; and there is no one that can match that. As I said COPYCATS can only be COPYCATS not leaders!! And China and others are just COPYCATS. Pakistan is not even on the list.

Well, you're the one making hefty claims. I find it a very weak excuse that you don't have time to pose counterarguments. There's no point in making hefty claims without backing them up properly. You also ignore my questions. You certainly don't hide your pro-US feelings by claiming how mighty and invincible the Americans are.  In reality, they're not invincible or dominant. Your problem is that you tend to over exaggerate your pro-American feelings. We all know what the underlying reasons are, but you have to be realistic. I'm fully aware about the abundant resources which the Americans pour into R&D. I'm also not denying American ingenuity in various fields. There's no doubt that the Americans are front runners in R&D and innovation. The Chinese and everyone else are far behind in those areas. Although, particularly China, has caught up immensely throughout the past few decades. Of course, there's a long way to go, but to suggest that the Americans are the only dominant force in the universe is a bit overstretched. I've already given you various examples about US decline. Yes, the Chinese and others don't reinvent the wheel. Why should they? The Americans can do the hard work and the rest will follow. Call it copying or whatever you will. The Chinese could care any less. For your information, the Chinese don't claim to be the sole superpower of the world. As for Pakistan not being on the list, you don't have to convince me. Everyone already knows my feelings and thoughts about the mess in Pakistan.

[blueazure]

gnak, on 19 September 2012 - 03:46 AM, said:

thats probably the number one fear india has of Pakistan lol

nukes are enough to keep  them at bay,, plus, indians, by nature are wussy and docile

[gnak]

blueazure, on 19 September 2012 - 04:54 AM, said:

nukes are enough to keep  them at bay,, plus, indians, by nature are wussy and docile

Pakistan dun got enough nukes to keep india at bay

but i fully agree with the second part indian by nature being wussy

[ajaj]

@Ceasar,

Hollywood movies are not real , just to make it clear

[Caesar]

BaburMissile, on 19 September 2012 - 04:05 AM, said:

Well, you're the one making hefty claims.

Claims ..... BM wake up you are being stupid. Last time I checked USA is the dominant Superpower on this planet. In your dreams you are living on another planet where you are Superman.....i get that, after all it is a dream !!

ajaj, on 19 September 2012 - 06:01 AM, said:

@Ceasar,

Hollywood movies are not real , just to make it clear

Another Superman.