Obama appeals to Iran to return downed US spy drone - Polidicks

Canada is by far the better place to live when compared to the united states.

[QUOTE=asteroidrules;33690266]He's asking for them to return it so they'll prove they actually HAVE it. The one in the video still looked like nothing more than a cheap fake to me and I'm betting Obama thinks the same.[/QUOTE] this doesn't even make sense

United States will get the UAV back just like they got those Humvee's captured by Russia during the war with Georgia back.

Time to activate the nuclear fail-safe.

[QUOTE=Mingebox;33692098]Doesn't Obama know a thing about spying? You're supposed to pretend that it never happened, and say nothing about it.[/QUOTE] It's going to make Iran think they have something important, and not a glorified RC plane.

[QUOTE=Mingebox;33692098]Doesn't Obama know a thing about spying? You're supposed to pretend that it never happened, and say nothing about it. Uh, that's 3 times what we spend: [thumb]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/7a/U.S._Federal_Spending_-_FY_2007.png/800px-U.S._Federal_Spending_-_FY_2007.png[/thumb][/QUOTE] Yes, in 2010. [url]http://thinkprogress.org/special/2011/11/28/376422/why-we-occupy-visualizing-federal-budget/[/url] The United Kingdom has about half that total budget for 2012 at 700 billion instead of 1,340 billion and we're spending less than 10% on defence: [url]http://www.ukpublicspending.co.uk/government_expenditure.html[/url]

[QUOTE=Fisk;33691824]Where is the information and source of this drone just being cheap junk no better then a R.C plane with a camera?[/QUOTE] Well, the alternative is to believe the CIA would be dumb enough to fly a valuable asset over Iran, instead of using a stripped down to the bone 'who cares if we lose it' drone. There is precedent for this level of dumbassness though. If you read about how the Serbs were able to shoot down a stealth fighter you'll face palm.

[QUOTE=cecilbdemodded;33692974]Well, the alternative is to believe the CIA would be dumb enough to fly a valuable asset over Iran, instead of using a stripped down to the bone 'who cares if we lose it' drone. There is precedent for this level of dumbassness though. If you read about how the Serbs were able to shoot down a stealth fighter you'll face palm.[/QUOTE] No one is saying shot down anymore. Iran claims to have hacked it, the US claims it malfunctioned. I doubt Iranians just wander around packing and shooting at weird shit they see in the sky. They're not American

[QUOTE=Flicker;33692951]Yes, in 2010. [url]http://thinkprogress.org/special/2011/11/28/376422/why-we-occupy-visualizing-federal-budget/[/url] The United Kingdom has about half that total budget for 2012 at 700 billion instead of 1,340 billion and we're spending less than 10% on defence: [url]http://www.ukpublicspending.co.uk/government_expenditure.html[/url][/QUOTE] That's not the entire budget, it's discretionary spending. In fact, we're spending less on the DoD than we did in 2010 [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_United_States_federal_budget[/url] [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_United_States_federal_budget[/url]

[QUOTE=cecilbdemodded;33692974]Well, the alternative is to believe the CIA would be dumb enough to fly a valuable asset over Iran, instead of using a stripped down to the bone 'who cares if we lose it' drone.[/QUOTE] disregarding this particular story; there is pretty much no point in having a long range, unmanned reconnaissance aircraft if you're too scared to fly it in another nation's airspace, especially for a country like the US, as all the was it has participated in recently have been on foreign soil. [editline]12th December 2011[/editline] one of the reasons for having an unmanned aircraft in the first place is that the missions it does can be more high risk, as it's more expendable than a manned aircraft

[QUOTE=Mingebox;33693191]That's not the entire budget, it's discretionary spending. In fact, we're spending less on the DoD than we did in 2010 [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_United_States_federal_budget[/url] [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_United_States_federal_budget[/url][/QUOTE] True. It's still a lot more than most western developed countries though.

[QUOTE=Fisk;33691824]Where is the information and source of this drone just being cheap junk no better then a R.C plane with a camera?[/QUOTE] [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_RQ-170_Sentinel[/url] The thing that makes it expensive is just the amount of physical stealth design features they have to implement.

Getting caught spying is pretty much an inevitability of espionage. But asking for the plane back? Now [I]that [/I]is embarrassing.

In the article it says: [quote]Israel has threatened to attack Iranian nuclear installations to prevent it achieving a nuclear weapon capability[/quote]

[QUOTE=Nystical;33693760]In the article it says:[/QUOTE] Well yeah, the spy plane was there because it was observing Iranian nuclear facilities.

[QUOTE=DOG-GY;33692671]this doesn't even make sense[/QUOTE] He asks for the drone back the Iranian government either has to give the drone back, or be called liars (as in if we don't get the drone we insist they don't have it).

[QUOTE=Mingebox;33693458]Getting caught spying is pretty much an inevitability of espionage. But asking for the plane back? Now [I]that [/I]is embarrassing.[/QUOTE] Especially when he was previously given 3 options to destroy the drone and passed on all of them.

[QUOTE=Flicker;33693132]No one is saying shot down anymore. Iran claims to have hacked it, the US claims it malfunctioned. I doubt Iranians just wander around packing and shooting at weird shit they see in the sky. They're not American[/QUOTE] I didn't mean to imply the drone got shot down, I was just pointing to a case where a high tech weapon(stealth fighter) was used in a dumb way that led to it falling into the wrong hands. That could be what happened to this drone, basic steps to keep it safe might have been skipped.

[url=http://aviationintel.com/?p=4513]Interesting article on how the RQ-170 could have survived a crash[/url] [url=http://aviationintel.com/?p=4476]Another from the same site regarding the authenticity of the drone[/url] [QUOTE=asteroidrules;33694234]He asks for the drone back the Iranian government either has to give the drone back, or be called liars (as in if we don't get the drone we insist they don't have it).[/QUOTE] I am pretty sure that the US government has a good idea whether it is a fake or not. They know where it was when they lost contact with it and exactly what it looks like. Calling Iran liars if they refused to give it back, hardly will change the fact if they have it.

Ha ha, yea right Obama. That thing's probably made rounds in Moscow and China by now.

Noooo way guys its just an rc plane, despite many major news channels and obamas request completely obliterating this theory, but its cool because we wanted them to have it so lmao iran! The US got you gooooooooood man! Bull fucking shit. Honestly where is the source on this trash?

[QUOTE=asteroidrules;33690266]He's asking for them to return it so they'll prove they actually HAVE it. The one in the video still looked like nothing more than a cheap fake to me and I'm betting Obama thinks the same.[/QUOTE] They did lose a drone though. They lost communication with it and Iran reported that they captured one.

[QUOTE=Mingebox;33692349]You mean comapred to Australia, Norway, and the Netherlands? [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Development_Index[/url][/QUOTE] Just Australia and Norway actually, the US is as developed as the Netherlands. [editline]13th December 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=asteroidrules;33690266]He's asking for them to return it so they'll prove they actually HAVE it. The one in the video still looked like nothing more than a cheap fake to me and I'm betting Obama thinks the same.[/QUOTE] I'm pretty sure the leader of the most powerful state on Earth can simply direct one of dozens of intelligence agencies to determine whether or not it's real, considering the possible implications if the drone was carrying sensitive information.

I love how the one time a military vehicle of ours survives a crash, it's the least possible convenient of instances.

For the United States to ask for the drone back is outrageous in my opinion. If you consider the fact that they were in Iran's airspace and that they broke international law. Iran should keep the drone.

Iran should send the drone back. [I]bolt by bolt[/I] [img]http://theuniblog.evilspacerobot.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/crazy-nic-cage_o_GIFSoup.com_.gif[/img]

I honestly do not understand the big deal here. If it is a cheap, overglorified RC plane then Iran will get nothing out of it. If it is an expensive UAV, then Iran's UAVs will improve. Then what? It is not like they have access to top notch materials to construct so at most it will be subpar version. Furthermore even if they were able to replicate it perfectly, they keep bragging they detected it and shot it down. So pretty much if theyre able to bring it down a large portion of other civilized countries will be able to bring it down as well. Also by Iran flaunting it now everyone and their dogs are now aware Iran has them and will be purposely looking for them in the sky. So basically Iran has a new shiny toy which basically has the potential to be equal to the technology the US and other countries have ANNOUNCED, which if you haven't figured out is definitely not how advanced we are as every country likes to keep their latest tech under wraps and this was announced in 2010 but been deployed since 2007. Furthermore they have access to one piece of surveillance technology compared to the other tools we have, so it basically an incomplete puzzle set.

How expensive, the capabilities, what Iran can do with it are all inconsequential to the point that the US has yet again violated sovereignty and will likely get away with it with them being one of the 5 members of the UNSC with the power to veto Iran's formal complaint.

[QUOTE=1chains1;33701612]I honestly do not understand the big deal here. If it is a cheap, overglorified RC plane then Iran will get nothing out of it. If it is an expensive UAV, then Iran's UAVs will improve. Then what? It is not like they have access to top notch materials to construct so at most it will be subpar version. Furthermore even if they were able to replicate it perfectly, they keep bragging they detected it and shot it down. So pretty much if theyre able to bring it down a large portion of other civilized countries will be able to bring it down as well. Also by Iran flaunting it now everyone and their dogs are now aware Iran has them and will be purposely looking for them in the sky. So basically Iran has a new shiny toy which basically has the potential to be equal to the technology the US and other countries have ANNOUNCED, which if you haven't figured out is definitely not how advanced we are as every country likes to keep their latest tech under wraps and this was announced in 2010 but been deployed since 2007. Furthermore they have access to one piece of surveillance technology compared to the other tools we have, so it basically an incomplete puzzle set.[/QUOTE] You're looking at it the wrong way. It's not a technological victory, but one of propaganda. Besides it's not like they can't buy the latest stuff from the Russians or Chinese (or at least this was a case a few years ago before they started putting export bans in place), which is comparable to American technology (considering how much of it lifted straight from American RnD anyhow)

[QUOTE=joost1120;33699644]They did lose a drone though. They lost communication with it and Iran reported that they captured one.[/QUOTE] Yeah I know, but the US army report was it went down over Afghanistan due to a technical problem. But the one Iran showed looked like it'd never even been flown.