Thread: Should the United States destroy or recover the RQ-170 drone that Iran has?

We should attempt to destroy the drone using the autodestruct feature any common sense engineer would have had installed on the device.

Ajax, I do not know if the RQ-170 drone has a self destruct capability or not.

Originally Posted by AmericanPatriot

Ajax, I do not know if the RQ-170 drone has a self destruct capability or not.

If there was an autodestruct capability what are the chances that it has not been disabled?

Perhaps the lesson learned is that autodestruct capabilities should be automatic if not disarmed in a set time after departure by someone entering in a correct code physically into the unit. The code should be entered before any other hatches , covers etc. are opened or removed.

That way no matter what happens to the unit, the unit will self-destruct without the proper authorized access at some predetermined time; say one hour over the longest planned mission time.



Entering Iran militarily would be an act of war. Do you really want to go to war with Iran over this or do you want to use this as the excuse for a war?

I think we should destroy it but then again I think it is way too late to make that decision. By now they have probably sold time for other nations to come view the drone and all the technology we rather embarrassingly gave them... gave to them gift wrapped. What a colossal blunder.

After apparently intentionally defying the sovereignity of Iran by illegally entering their borders yet again, you now want the US military to invade their country to retrieve or destroy it?

Originally Posted by Formaldehyde

After apparently intentionally defying the sovereignity of Iran by illegally entering their borders yet again, you now want the US military to invade their country to retrieve or destroy it?

I do not have that answer on how to destroy / retrieve the drone. Also, if you are waiting on me to have an answer or get upset about "defying the sovereignity of Iran" you will be waiting a long time. To be honest with you, I just do not have a care at all about Iran making them unique when it comes to the sovereignty of a nation. I say that as I probably would respect for just about every other nation (there may be other exeptions, just saying.)

I prefer using the Golden Rule myself.

Originally Posted by Formaldehyde

I prefer using the Golden Rule myself.

I doubt that is true and it is naive in dealing with a nation that does not have a care at all about your rule.

Obama refused three different plans to recover or destroy the drone. This is well known in the intel community.

So far the MSM has ignored the story... (surprise!)

Ironically, most of the Iranian people think quite highly of the the US because they highly respect freedom, liberty, justice, and self-determination. They just aren't very keen about the obvious hypocrisy our government has shown in the brutal killing of tens of millions of their own people after overthrowing their legitimate sovereign democratic government.

Originally Posted by tsquare

Obama refused three different plans to recover or destroy the drone. This is well known in the intel community.

So far the MSM has ignored the story... (surprise!)

Yeah, what an asshole for thinking things over.

Obama should just go with his gut and invade them without planning it, that's what any sensible Republican President would do.

Of course we should destroy the drone. However it got into Iran - the autodestruct should have been engaged immediately it was clear we couldn't recover it. If autodestruct failed, a flight of F-15s or -16s should have been dispatched (they should have been standing by on the ground, crews & planes prepped, armed, with waypoints loaded into their nav systems - or a flight already in the air should have had as a possible assignment sanitizing the drone wreckage) to shred the drone with cannon fire, then napalm (whatever we're using these days) the wreckage. (You want live crew in order to get "gun camera" views.)

Failing that, we could have fired off a MLRS barrage - or 3 or 4 - overkill, to be sure, but we need to be certain. Again, wide-area coverage centered on the drone, with bomblets. Then incendiaries - & maybe lay down a nice minefield over the wreckage, just to complicate things for the recovery crew.

If we can reliably track the drone's whereabouts even now, I would still favor putting precision guided munitions into the target, & a napalm strike to take care of any wreckage. Even if this particular drone isn't cutting-edge tech, it's still a bad idea to give up technical ways & means without a struggle ...

Originally Posted by Jason Marcel

Yeah, what an asshole for thinking things over.

Obama should just go with his gut and invade them without planning it, that's what any sensible Republican President would do.

Without planning it you say, there were three plans on the table that he rejected. What more do you want. But we know Obama has done nothing nor will he do anything about Iran's nukes. So it's not surprising he would not try to destroy the drone, hell, Obama just gave it to them, all gifted wrapped.