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US Drones Sopped flying in Iran-PAK, Helicopters colliding in Washington

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EDITORIAL: Drone Wars: The Mullahs Strike Back

 

 

 

 

 

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SEATTLE | Tue Dec 13, 2011 3:16am EST

(Reuters) - Two U.S. Army helicopters crashed on Monday during training exercises at a Washington state military base, killing four aviators on board, the base said in a statement.

Brendalyn Carpenter, a spokeswoman for Joint Base Lewis-McChord, confirmed that "there was an accident" in the evening and that military police and emergency personnel were en route to the accident scene at the base near Tacoma.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends and loved ones of the soldiers involved in this tragic accident," said Major General Lloyd Miles, acting senior Army commander at the base.

"We will conduct a thorough investigation into this incident, and we will do everything in our power to support the families of the brave soldiers who died this evening," he added.

The base identified the aircraft involved in the crash as a pair of OH-58 Kiowa observation helicopters. Local television station KIRO 7 reported that the helicopters had crashed in Thurston County in a wooded training area, and that there were no survivors.

Temperatures at the base were around the mid-20 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday evening, and local media reported a likelihood of fog in the woods where the crash was said to have occurred.

(Reporting by Laura L. Myers, Editing by Cynthia Johnston)

 

 

امریکا،2ہیلی کاپٹرگرنےسے6 فوجی ہلاک

 

 

 

 

US soldiers killed in helicopter collision

 

12/13/2011 - 8:46:10 AM

 

Two US Army helicopters have crashed at a base in Washington, killing four soldiers.

 

An earlier report from Joint Base Lewis-McChord indicated two other soldiers were injured.

 

However, spokesman JC Mathews said the two OH-58 Kiowa helicopters that crashed last night were both two-seat aircraft.

 

They crashed in the south-west training area of the base near Tacoma.

 

None of the victims has yet been identified.by Katrina Jones on 1 min ago // No Comment

 

 

3

us-h-copter.jpgواشنگٹن: امریکی کی شمالی ریاست واشنگٹن میں 2 فوجی ہیلی کاپٹرتباہ ہونے سے 6 فوجی ہلاک اور2 زخمی ہوگئے ہیں۔

نمائندہ دی نیوز ٹرائب کے مطابق حادثہ امریکی ریاست کے شہر تھرسٹاون کاونٹی کےفوجی بیس کے قریب پیش آیا ہے۔

امریکی جوائنٹ ملٹری بیس لیوس میکورڈ سے تعلق رکھنے والے دونوں ہیلی کاپٹر کو گزشتہ رات کو 9:15 پر پیش آیا ۔

جوائنٹ ملٹری بیس کی ترجمان برینڈی لین کارپینٹر نے حادثے کی تصدیق کرتے ہوئے بتایا کہ واقعہ رات کے وقت معمول کی سیکورٹی گشت کے دوران پیش آیا جب کہ ہیلی کاپٹروں میں پولیس اور فوج کے اہلکار موجود تھے۔

میجر جنرل لیورڈ میل نے کہاہے کہ حادثے میں ہمارے کئی اہم اہلکار ہلاک ہوگئے ہیں، ہم حادثے کی پوری تحقیقات کریں گے تاکہ آئندہ اس طرح کے واقعات کو روکا جاسکے۔

=================

 

dawn Tuesday, December 13, 2011 4:08:00 AM CET | other]

TEHRAN, Dec 12: Iran will reverse-engineer the US drone it has in its possession, and is in the “final stages” of unlocking the aircraft`s software secrets, according to the head of Iran`s parliamentary national security committee....

 

 

Articles published more than 50 minutes ago

 

dailymail Tuesday, December 13, 2011 3:40:00 AM CET | other]

'We have asked for it back. We'll see how the Iranians respond,' Obama said during a White House news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Monday....

Articles published more than 1 hour ago

 

washtimes Tuesday, December 13, 2011 3:22:00 AM CET | other]

The loss of one of America's most sophisticated drone aircraft over Iran is the latest episode in the simmering cold war with Tehran. That the drone was able to be brought down intact raises troubling questions about the vulnerability of the rest of the U.S. drone fleet. The RQ-170 Sentinel ......

 

CBSnews Tuesday, December 13, 2011 2:52:00 AM CET | other]

The White House has asked the Iranian government for the drone that was downed in their country as military officials claim they have retrieved the data necessary to reproduce the aircraft. Scott Pelley reports....

 

ibtimes-au Tuesday, December 13, 2011 2:37:00 AM CET [Obama calls on Iran to give back downed US drone (AP)

http://static.newsbr...gs/small/US.gif news-yahoo Tuesday, December 13, 2011 2:23:00 AM CET | other]

AP - The Obama administration said Monday it has delivered a formal request to Iran for the return of a U.S. surveillance drone captured by Iranian armed forces, but is not hopeful that Iran will comply....

 

independent Tuesday, December 13, 2011 2:08:00 AM CET [Obama Says America Asked Iran to Return Its Drone

http://static.newsbr...gs/small/US.gif IHT Tuesday, December 13, 2011 2:05:00 AM CET | other]

It was the president’s first public comment on the drone, which has been missing since Dec. 4, and according to Iranians, is in their possession....

 

indiatimes Tuesday, December 13, 2011 2:00:00 AM CET [uS demands Iran return drone

http://static.newsbr...gs/small/SG.gif channelnewsasia Tuesday, December 13, 2011 2:00:00 AM CET | other]

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama acknowledged for the first time Monday that a US drone was in Iranian hands and said the United States has asked Tehran to return the sophisticated spycraft....

guardiannewsngr Tuesday, December 13, 2011 1:37:00 AM CET [From the Newspaper | Back Page |

(5 hours ago) Today[/font][/color]

 

TEHRAN, Dec 12: Iran will reverse-engineer the US drone it has in its possession, and is in the “final stages” of unlocking the aircraft`s software secrets, according to the head of Iran`s parliamentary national security committee.

“Our next action will be to reverse-engineer the aircraft,” Parviz Sorouri said on Monday. “In the near future, we will be able to mass produce it…. Iranian engineers will soon build an aircraft superior to the American (drone) using reverse-engineering,” he was quoted as saying by the website of state television. Iran says it captured the sophisticated US drone, a bat-winged stealthy RQ-170 Sentinel, on December 4 as it was flying in its airspace. It claimed a Revolutionary Guards cyber-warfare unit hacked the aircraft`s flight controls, and it presented what it said was the drone on state television on Thursday.

US officials, who reportedly said the drone was on a CIA mission over Iran, have expressed scepticism that Iran has the technology to perform such a hacking feat. They said the drone was likely to have suffered a malfunction.

They have also cast doubts over Iran`s ability to replicate the drone — at least without the help of Russia or China.

“US capabilities are remarkably advanced, and it`s unclear that the Iranians have the expertise” to exploit the advanced know-how in the aircraft, a US official said last week.

But Sorouri said “we are in the final stages of cracking (the drone`s) code.”

He predicted that “we will acquire valuable intelligence through deciphering the Americans` covert intelligence and espionage methods once the code is cracked”, but added he could not say when the software would be finally unlocked.

Sorouri also said, “We will not need Russian or Chinese cooperation” to copy the drone.—AFP

 

===================

 

 

'Give us back our drone': Obama asks Iran for return of downed craft (but admits that's highly unlikely)

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Last updated at 2:22 AM on 13th December 2011

The Obama administration said Monday it has delivered a formal request to Iran for the return of a U.S. surveillance drone captured by Iranian armed forces, but is not hopeful that Iran will comply.

President Barack Obama said that the U.S. wants the top-secret aircraft back. 'We have asked for it back. We'll see how the Iranians respond,' Obama said during a White House news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Monday.

He wouldn't comment on what the Iranians might learn from studying the downed aircraft. Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said it's difficult to know 'just frankly how much they're going to be able to get from having obtained those parts,' the Associated Press reports.

http://i.dailymail.c...261_468x307.jpg

Paraded for the cameras: Iranian Revolutionary Guard's General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh (left) inspects the U.S. RQ-170 drone

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Panetta said they're not optimistic about getting the drone back because of recent Iranian behaviour that Clinton said indicated 'that the path that Iran seems to be going down is a dangerous one for themselves and the region.'

'We submitted a formal request for the return of our lost equipment as we would in any situation to any government around the world,' Clinton told reporters at a State Department news conference with British Foreign Secretary William Hague.

'Given Iran's behaviour to date we do not expect them to comply but we are dealing with all of these provocations and concerning actions taken by Iran in close concert with our closest allies and partners,' she said.

Panetta said the request to return the drone was appropriate. 'I don't expect that that will happen,' he said. 'But I think it's important to make that request.'

http://i.dailymail.c...125_468x316.jpg

Formal request: President Obama at Monday's news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki

Neither Obama nor Clinton would provide details of the drone request, but diplomatic exchanges between Washington to Tehran are often handled by Switzerland, which represents U.S. interests in Iran.

The State Department said Monday that the Swiss ambassador to Iran met with Iranian foreign ministry officials last week but refused to say what they discussed.

Iran TV reported earlier Monday that Iranian experts were in the final stages of recovering data from the RQ-170 Sentinel, which went down in Iran earlier this month.

Tehran has cited the capture as a victory for Iran and displayed the nearly intact drone on state TV. U.S. officials say the aircraft malfunctioned and was not brought down by Iran.

Despite the incident, Clinton said the administration and its allies would continue to push Iran to engage over its nuclear program while at the same time increasing pressure on the regime with new, enhanced sanctions.

 

http://i.dailymail.c...8-3_468x311.jpg

Keeping it: Iran says it will not return the US RQ-170 Sentinel high-altitude reconnaissance drone that crashed in Iran earlier this month

'We obviously believe strongly in a diplomatic approach. We want to see the Iranians engage and, as you know, we have attempted to bring about that engagement over the course of the last three-plus years. It has not proven effective, but we are not giving up on it,' she said.

Standing beside Clinton, Hague agreed.

'We're not giving up on engagement with Iran, but on a number of occasions Iran has behaved in a way in recent weeks and months which has intensified confrontation with the rest of the world,' he said. 'We have seen an increasing predilection for dangerous and illegal adventures on the part of at least parts of the Iranian regime.'

Clinton and Hague referred to the storming of British diplomatic compounds in Tehran, allegations that Iran tried to arrange the assassination of the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Iran's ongoing support for militant groups and its continued defiance of demands to prove its nuclear program is peaceful.

Gen Hossein Salami, deputy head of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard, said on state television that the violation of Iran's airspace by the U.S. drone was a 'hostile act' and warned of a 'bigger' response.

 

http://i.dailymail.c...339_468x502.jpg

Graphic: The RQ-170 was reportedly used to watch former Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden during the Navy SEAL mission that killed him

Officials in Iran even believe they can 'mass produce' the captured bat-winged stealthy RQ-170 Sentinel and build a 'superior' version following its crash on December 4.

Parviz Sorouri, the head of Iran's parliamentary national security committee, said today: 'Our next action will be to reverse-engineer the aircraft.

'In the near future, we will be able to mass produce it ... Iranian engineers will soon build an aircraft superior to the American [drone] using reverse engineering.'

Iranian officials say a Revolutionary Guards cyber-warfare unit hacked the aircraft's flight controls.

http://i.dailymail.c...422_468x586.jpg

Worries: U.S. officials are concerned about the Iranians potentially sharing or selling what they could have recovered of the aircraft to China or Russia

Sorouri said Iran experts were in the 'final stages of cracking (the drone's) code'.

He also denied accusations from the U.S. that Iran didn't have the technology to replicate the drone, and that it would only be able to do so with Russian of Chinese help.

He added: 'we will not need Russian or Chinese cooperation' to copy the drone.

'They will definitely not be involved. This great defensive capability is reserved for us, and we are not ready to share it with others.

http://i.dailymail.c...984_468x309.jpg

Military officials: These images give more credence to Iran's claims of having the highly-sensitive drone

'We will use this capability as a deterrence. And I doubt the Islamic republic would share this technology with other countries.'

Iranian television broadcast video last Thursday of Iranian military officials inspecting what it identified as the RQ-170 Sentinel drone.

Gen Salami called its capture a victory for Iran and a defeat for the U.S. in a complicated intelligence and technological battle.

'Iran is among the few countries that possesses the most modern technology in the field of pilotless drones. The technology gap between Iran and the US is not much,' he said.

 

http://i.dailymail.c...366_468x286.jpg

Broke down: US officials say Iran had nothing to do with the drone crashing to earth. They contend it simply malfunctioned

Officers in the Guard, Iran's most powerful military force, had previously claimed that the country's armed forces brought down the surveillance aircraft with an electronic ambush, causing minimum damage to the drone.

American officials have said that US intelligence assessments indicate that Iran neither shot the drone down, nor used electronic or cybertechnology to force it from the sky.

They contend the drone malfunctioned. The officials had spoken anonymously in order to discuss the classified program.

But Gen Salami refused to provide more details of Iran's claim to have captured the CIA-operated aircraft.

'A party that wins in an intelligence battle doesn't reveal its methods. We can't elaborate on the methods we employed to intercept, control, discover and bring down the pilotless plane,' he said.

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail...l#ixzz1gNqnJvQg

 

 

=============

 

 

Obama calls on Iran to give back downed US drone

http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/nws/p/ap_logo_106.png

By MATTHEW LEE, Associated Press – 2 hrs 54 mins ago

 

WASHINGTON – The Obama administration said Monday it has delivered a formal request to Iran for the return of a U.S. surveillance drone captured by Iranian armed forces, but is not hopeful that Iran will comply.

President Barack Obama said that the U.S. wants the top-secret aircraft back. "We have asked for it back. We'll see how the Iranians respond," Obama said during a White House news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Monday.

He wouldn't comment on what the Iranians might learn from studying the downed aircraft. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said it's difficult to know "just frankly how much they're going to be able to get from having obtained those parts."

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Panetta said they're not optimistic about getting the drone back because of recent Iranian behavior that Clinton said indicated "that the path that Iran seems to be going down is a dangerous one for themselves and the region."

"We submitted a formal request for the return of our lost equipment as we would in any situation to any government around the world," Clinton told reporters at a State Department news conference with British Foreign Secretary William Hague.

[ For complete coverage of politics and policy, go to Yahoo! Politics ]

 

"Given Iran's behavior to date we do not expect them to comply but we are dealing with all of these provocations and concerning actions taken by Iran in close concert with our closest allies and partners," she said.

Panetta said the request to return the drone was appropriate. "I don't expect that that will happen," he said. "But I think it's important to make that request."

Neither Obama nor Clinton would provide details of the drone request, but diplomatic exchanges between Washington to Tehran are often handled by Switzerland, which represents U.S. interests in Iran. The State Department said Monday that the Swiss ambassador to Iran met with Iranian foreign ministry officials last week but refused to say what they discussed.

Iran TV reported earlier Monday that Iranian experts were in the final stages of recovering data from the RQ-170 Sentinel, which went down in Iran earlier this month. Tehran has cited the capture as a victory for Iran and displayed the nearly intact drone on state TV. U.S. officials say the aircraft malfunctioned and was not brought down by Iran.

Despite the incident, Clinton said the administration and its allies would continue to push Iran to engage over its nuclear program while at the same time increasing pressure on the regime with new, enhanced sanctions.

"We obviously believe strongly in a diplomatic approach. We want to see the Iranians engage and, as you know, we have attempted to bring about that engagement over the course of the last three-plus years. It has not proven effective, but we are not giving up on it," she said.

Standing beside Clinton, Hague agreed.

"We're not giving up on engagement with Iran, but on a number of occasions Iran has behaved in a way in recent weeks and months which has intensified confrontation with the rest of the world," he said. "We have seen an increasing predilection for dangerous and illegal adventures on the part of at least parts of the Iranian regime."

Clinton and Hague referred to the storming of British diplomatic compounds in Tehran, allegations that Iran tried to arrange the assassination of the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Iran's ongoing support for militant groups and its continued defiance of demands to prove its nuclear program is peaceful.

 

================

Dec. 12, 2011 5:46 PM ET

War nearly over, Obama says Iraq won't stand alone

BEN FELLER, AP White House Correspondent http://api.ap.org/v1/images/principles-book-blue.png

 

 

 

 

 

President Barack Obama and Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki pause after laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns, Monday, Dec. 12, 2011, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

 

 

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Eager to put the long and divisive Iraq war to rest, President Barack Obama declared Monday "those days are over" with the last American troops heading home, but he pledged the U.S. would remain committed to the fledgling government they leave behind. He and Iraq's leader somberly saluted America's war dead at Arlington National Cemetery.

"A war is ending," the president said, standing with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki at the White House. U.S. troops are leaving "with honor and with their heads held high," said Obama, who strongly opposed the war as a candidate for the White House.

The last American troops are to be out of Iraq by Dec. 31. Thousands of others are still in Afghanistan.

Just 6,000 remain in Iraq, down from 170,000 at the war's peak in 2007.

The withdrawal will cap a war in which nearly 4,500 Americans were killed, roughly 32,000 were wounded, hundreds of billions of dollars were spent and the American political debate was consumed until economic woes brought attention back home.

Obama had already said weeks ago that he was pulling all troops by year's end, leaving his appearance with al-Maliki to focus instead on what's next — a relationship both leaders described as rich in shared interests, from education to oil, politics to security.

To the Iraqi people, who still face massive challenges in rebuilding a society ripped apart by nearly nine years of war, Obama said: "You will not stand alone."

The United States, in fact, needs the help of Iraq in dealing with the volatile Middle East and two of neighbors in particular, Iran and Syria. In getting out of Iraq, Obama emphasized that "our strong presence in the Middle East endures" and the United States won't soften in its defense of its interests.

In the midst of a re-election run, Obama is using the war's end to both honor the military's sacrifice and to remind the nation the unpopular war is ending on his watch. He is to deliver his war-is-over message in TV interviews on Tuesday and then again on Wednesday in remarks to troops at Fort Bragg, N.C.

Obama opposed the war from the start and eventually rode that stand to the White House.

In a 2002 speech during the months before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq began, when Obama was a U.S. senator from Illinois, he that "What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war."

On Monday, speaking as a commander in chief, Obama put the focus on Iraq's future.

"I think history will judge the original decision to go into Iraq," Obama said. What's clear, he added, is that because of the huge sacrifices by American soldiers and civilians and the courage of the Iraqi people, "we have now achieved an Iraq that is self-governing, that is inclusive and that has enormous potential."

Said al-Maliki: "Anyone who observes the nature of the relationship between the two countries will say that the relationship will not end with the departure of the last American soldier."

Early signs of how Iraq may orient itself could come from how it handles troubles in Syria, where the United Nations says 4,000 people have been killed in a government crackdown. The crisis has exposed differences in the U.S. and Iraqi positions: Obama says Syrian President Bashar Assad must step down. Al-Maliki has not.

"I do not have the right to ask a president to abdicate," said al-Maliki. He suggested anew that Assad's removal could lead to a civil war in Syria that could spread across the region and be difficult to control, calling for some other solution that would "avoid all the evils and the dangers."

Obama said he and al-Maliki had "tactical disagreements" on Syria but shared the goals of free expression there without violence. Obama said he had no doubt that Iraq was acting in its own interests and not under the meddling influence of Iran. Tehran is Syria's main backer.

Obama also acknowledged that the United States is pressing Iran to return a U.S. surveillance drone captured by the country's armed forces.

State TV in Tehran reported Monday that Iranian experts were in the final stages of recovering data from it. The president would not comment on the national security implications for the United States, citing classified intelligence.

But he said of the drone: "We have asked for it back. We'll see how the Iranians respond."

Obama spoke repeatedly of Iraq as a nation demanding respect, describing it as a sovereign country and an equal partner. And al-Maliki said his nation still welcomed help, such as in drawing on American and other outside expertise so that Iraq can better exploit its own wealth, particularly in oil.

Yet significant questions remain over the details of the security relationship between the U.S. and Iraq once all Americans troops are withdrawn. Iraqi leaders have said they want U.S. military training assistance for their security forces but have been unable to agree on what type of help they'd like or what protections they would be willing to give American trainers.

About 1 million U.S. troops have cycled through Iraq since the war began.

Following their meetings at the White House, Obama and al-Maliki paid respects to the fallen at Arlington National Cemetery.

At times, Obama's language had the echoes of President George W. Bush, particularly in the potential for Iraq to help transform its part of the world. "Our goal is simply to make sure that Iraq succeeds, because we think a successful, democratic Iraq can be a model for the entire region," Obama said.

To all those who served in Iraq and to their families, Obama said the United States maintains a "moral obligation to all of them — to build a future worthy of their sacrifice."

___

Associated Press writer Julie Pace contributed to this report.

====================

 

8 December 2011 Last updated at 17:54 GMT

 

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695

Why Iran's capture of US drone will shake CIA

http://www.bbc.co.uk...971_gardner.jpgBy Frank GardnerBBC security correspondent

 

drone, shown here on Iranian television, appears to be in very good condition

 

Related Stories

Bat-winged, high-flying and hard to detect, America's RQ-170 Sentinel plane is the perfect stealth drone for peering into another country's secret sites without being caught.

One was used in May to feed back live footage of the US Navy Seal raid on Osama Bin Laden's compound in Pakistan.

So probably not the sort of hardware the CIA would ever like to fall into the hands of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps? Oops.

On 4 December, around 140 miles inside Iran=225 K.Ms from its border with Afghanistan, that is exactly what has happened.

On Thursday afternoon, Iran displayed its captured trophy on TV, apparently perfectly intact and, according to the Iranian media, Russian and Chinese military intelligence officials are taking a keen interest in it.

Opinion is divided on how this hi-tech intelligence-gathering drone fell into "the wrong hands" and, indeed, what it was doing inside Iran.

Built by Lockheed Martin, unveiled at Kandahar Airbase in 2009 and capable of flying at an altitude of up to 50,000ft (15.2km), this Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) carries no missiles, unlike the larger, lethal drones, the Predator and the Reaper, that also fly from bases in Afghanistan.

The US says simply that its Sentinel had a malfunction, but the plane is supposed to have a failsafe back-up system that automatically steers it back to base if contact is lost with its controller.

Sophisticated sensors

The base in this case is Shindand in western Afghanistan, a former Soviet airbase from where US-operated drones are used to monitor the movements of Taliban insurgents and smugglers along the long border with Iran.

 

RQ-170 Sentinel drone was built by Lockheed Martin

But speculation is rife that this particular aircraft was flying deep inside Iran to gather intelligence and real-time video footage of Iran's nuclear sites.

It was carrying an array of sophisticated sensors that will be of great interest to Iran and other countries.

If, as was originally thought, the Sentinel had been shot down then there would have been little to put on display but a pile of twisted wreckage.

Instead, what was on show on Iranian TV was an immaculate gleaming white drone that looked straight off the production line.

 

“Start Quote

In the CIA Directorate of Intelligence at Langley, Virginia, eyes will be rolling skywards as analysts work out the long-term damage to US intelligence”

 

Which tends to back up the claim by Iran that its forces brought down the drone through electronic warfare, in other words that it electronically hijacked the plane and steered it to the ground.

On Thursday, the Commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force Brig-Gen Amir Ali Hajizadeh said "through precise electronic monitoring it was known that this plane
had the objective of penetrating the country's skies for espionage purposes.

"After entering the country's eastern space the plane was caught in an electronic ambush by the armed forces and it was brought down on the land with minimum damage."

This affair is both a political embarrassment and an intelligence setback for Washington.

It is also unlikely to help those countries like Britain that are trying to obstruct and delay what they suspect is an Iranian nuclear weapons programme - a programme Tehran denies.

Iran has now formally complained about the US intrusion into its airspace and asked for compensation.

In the CIA Directorate of Intelligence at Langley, Virginia, eyes will be rolling skywards as analysts work out the long-term damage to US intelligence.

Not only must they accept that some of their most successful and useful surveillance technology is now in the hands of the very people they were using it on, they will also have to think very carefully before sending anything else into Iranian airspace.

Above all, they must be asking: does Iran really have the capacity to intercept transmissions between our stealth drones and our controllers on the ground?
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