Avenger Drone takes to Afghanistan Skies and likely peruses IRAN too

Stealth Drones present a serious advantage towards keeping tabs on those who threaten the peace. While there are many inconsistencies in the story of the lost drone over Iran, this newer one will be prepared for whatever the Iranians put out there.

Iran is capable but they are literally shooting in the dark....There is still a sizeable amount of info out there about whether the RQ 170 they say they have is valid, or if it was a BS story sent out in a " Trojan Horse" move....

It is all interesting speculation and one that we will likely be only able to hypothesize about for the forseeable future.

Air Force Deploys Newest Armed Stealth Drone to Afghanistan
December 15, 2011 - FoxNews

As the military scrambles to deal with a U.S. spy drone lost in Iran, it was revealed that the U.S. Air Force has bought a cutting edge, jet-powered stealth drone -- and plans its immediate deployment in Afghanistan.

But the brand new drone -- an armed model from General Atomics designed for strike as well as reconnaissance -- was ordered months ago, well before the crash of the stealthy Lockheed-made RQ-170 Sentinel that remains in Iran, the USAF said in a statement to aviation website FlightGlobal.

Unmanned drones get more sophisticated with each generation -- faster, stronger, smarter.

"This aircraft will be used as a test asset and will provide a significantly increased weapons and sensors payload capacity on an aircraft that will be able to fly to targets much more rapidly than the MQ-9 [Reaper] UAS," the USAF said.

Developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, the Avenger -- also known as the Predator C -- is the upgraded successor to the Predator and Reaper drones with significantly greater firepower, speed and sensor capabilities.

It also has an internal weapons bay and is capable of carrying 2,000-pound missiles.

Despite being labeled a test aircraft, the order for the Avenger came in response to an urgent request made by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in early 2011. The Avenger was the only aircraft that met the Defense Department's needs on such short notice, the Air Force Times reported, citing a heavily redacted document posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website.

Wired's Danger Room blog speculates that the drone may be used not in Afghanistan but for further missions in Iran, given its stealth capabilities and large weapons payload.

“The Avenger reportedly carries a ground-mapping radar and the same ultra-sophisticated cameras as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, making it a perfect candidate for quietly snooping above, say, suspected nuclear facilities or terrorist camps guarded by air-defense radars and missiles,” wrote Danger Room’s David Axe.

All of which doesn’t seem too far-fetched: Panetta recently told Fox News in an exclusive interview that the stealth drone campaign along the Iran-Afghanistan border will “absolutely” continue despite the loss of a valuable and sophisticated drone in Iran.

The mysterious loss of the RQ-170 Sentinel drone revealed not only that the U.S. was spying on Iran, but also that the program was being run from Shindad Air Base in western Afghanistan.

"Those operations have to be protected in order to do the job and the mission that they're involved with," Panetta told Fox News.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said at a press conference Wednesday morning that he was unaware of the Sentinel drone malfunction until informed by Iran.

"Afghanistan was not aware the drone had gone down or malfunctioned in Iran ... the government of Iran has sent a note to us on that," he told reporters.

Meanwhile, the Obama administration has been quietly pushing to sell armed drones to key allies, but it has run into resistance from U.S. lawmakers concerned about the proliferation of technology and know-how.

Administration officials recently began informal consultations with lawmakers about prospective sales of armed drones and weapons systems to NATO members Italy and Turkey, while several U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf have been pressing Washington to authorize drone sales, officials said.

SUX to be you Al Qaeda - Massive Drone Strike Hits Qaida Cop Station in Yemen

On certain days, you get up in the morning and you are trying to figure out what's going on....You're not sure as the day is still early on and there is a little too much fog left in the grey matter from the night before.

THEN, you find a bit of information that catches your attention and interjects a bit of " Well Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah ! " as some stupid idjits are finding out that there are less & less places to hide from the long arm of JUSTICE.....AWESOME USE OF THE TECHNOLOGY DUDE !

Pour it on....no let up.....keep it coming. These feckless fools think they can hide out in the Shite-wilds and send destruction to the rest of the world are swiftly finding out that we will find them and hunt them down like the shallow b@stards they are.

It makes me recall how the USA did it back in the day, and my sentiment is perfectly in line with this President's words uttered in Congress on Dec. 8th, 1941:

" No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated (attack), the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.

I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.

With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph -- so help us God."

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation
December 8th, 1941


Massive Drone Strike Hits Qaida Cop Station in Yemen
By Spencer Ackerman Wired.com / Danger Room

At some point, al-Qaida is going to have to figure out that gathering in conspicuous places just means giving a big, fat, blinking red target to the killer drones hovering above.

In the latest sign of the intensifying U.S. shadow war in Yemen, drones hit a police station in Abyan Province, where fighters from al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula have flocked during the country’s ongoing political crisis. al-Qaida reportedly took over the station, prompting the drone(s) to take action.

Early reports are conflicting, but the strike might have a massive death toll attached. The New York Times says eight militants are dead, but CNN claims that the body count is at 50. Either way, there’s a lesson here: al-Qaida gatherings are drone bait.

According to stats compiled by the Long War Journal, it’s the third U.S. airstrike in Yemen this year, which really means since May. The next strike will tie the total from all of 2010.

Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula can’t say it wasn’t warned. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, the former CIA director, tells anyone who’ll listen how drone strikes, commando raids and other inconspicuous, lethal applications of force are his preferred solution to the al-Qaida problem. Same goes for incoming Special Operations Command chief Vice. Adm. William McRaven. New CIA Director David Petraeus is cool taking militants dead or alive.

Not to suggest there’s a bright side to al-Qaida’s strength in Abyan, but if the militants feel they can run the province with impunity, their operational security standards are likely to drop. The newer model Reaper drones at the U.S.’ disposal increasingly carry smaller, lighter weapons — 35 pound missiles, down from a 100-pound Hellfire — and more of them. That means more opportunities to hit more al-Qaida targets, especially if the terrorist group is going to set up conspicuous de facto bases. Maybe it’s time to rethink the concept of “safe haven.”

US NAVY looks to Drones as a way of countering CHI-COM Navy

SECNAV had announced at one point in the last year or so that by 2015, he wanted 1/2 of all aircraft taking off and landing on our carriers to be remotely piloted drones. Now we know the back story as this type of A/C will be used to counter the possible threat that the CHI-COM Navy may raise as they move towards becoming more present on the high seas....sounds like something from a movie....The US Military becoming more and more reliant on drones and robotic platforms....

The Terminator: The Skynet Funding Bill is passed. The system goes on-line August 4th, 2017. Human decisions are removed from strategic defense. Skynet begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29th. In a panic, they try to pull the plug.

Sarah Connor: Skynet fights back.

The Terminator: Yes. It launches its missiles against the targets in Russia.

John Connor: Why attack Russia? Aren't they our friends now?

The Terminator: Because Skynet knows the Russian counter-attack will eliminate its enemies over here.

John Connor: We're not gonna make it, are we? People, I mean.

The Terminator: It's in your nature to destroy yourselves.

John Connor: Yeah. Major drag, huh?


US Navy drones: Coming to a carrier near China?
ERIC TALMADGE, Associated Press

YOKOSUKA, Japan (AP) — The U.S. is developing aircraft carrier-based drones that could provide a crucial edge as it tries to counter China's military rise.

American officials have been tightlipped about where the unmanned armed planes might be used, but a top Navy officer has told The Associated Press that some would likely be deployed in Asia.

"They will play an integral role in our future operations in this region," predicted Vice Adm. Scott Van Buskirk, commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet, which covers most of the Pacific and Indian oceans.

Land-based drones are in wide use in the war in Afghanistan, but sea-based versions will take several more years to develop. Northrop Grumman conducted a first-ever test flight — still on land — earlier this year.

Van Buskirk didn't mention China specifically, but military analysts agree the drones could offset some of China's recent advances, notably its work on a "carrier-killer" missile.

"Chinese military modernization is the major long-term threat that the U.S. must prepare for in the Asia-Pacific region, and robotic vehicles — aerial and subsurface — are increasingly critical to countering that potential threat," said Patrick Cronin, a senior analyst with the Washington-based Center for New American Security.

China is decades away from building a military as strong as America's, but it is developing air, naval and missile capabilities that could challenge U.S. supremacy in the Pacific — and with it, America's ability to protect important shipping lanes and allies such as Japan and South Korea.

China maintains it does not have offensive intentions and is only protecting its own interests: The shipping lanes are also vital to China's export-dependent economy. There are potential flash points, though, notably Taiwan and clusters of tiny islands that both China and other Asian nations claim as their territory.

The U.S. Navy's pursuit of drones is a recognition of the need for new weapons and strategies to deal not only with China but a changing military landscape generally.

"Carrier-based unmanned aircraft systems have tremendous potential, especially in increasing the range and persistence of our intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations, as well as our ability to strike targets quickly," Van Buskirk said at the 7th Fleet's headquarters in Yokosuka, Japan.

His fleet boasts one carrier — the USS George Washington — along with about 60 other ships and 40,000 sailors and Marines.

Experts say the drones could be used on any of the 11 U.S. carriers worldwide and are not being developed exclusively as a counterbalance to China.

But China's reported progress in missile development appears to make the need for them more urgent.

The DF 21D "carrier killer" missile is designed for launch from land with enough accuracy to hit a moving aircraft carrier at a distance of more than 900 miles (1,500 kilometers). Though still unproven — and some analysts say overrated — no other country has such a weapon.

Current Navy fighter jets can only operate about 500 nautical miles (900 kilometers) from a target, leaving a carrier within range of the Chinese missile.

Drones would have an unrefueled combat radius of 1,500 nautical miles (2,780 kilometers) and could remain airborne for 50 to 100 hours — versus the 10 hour maximum for a pilot, according to a 2008 paper by analysts Tom Ehrhard and Robert Work at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. Work is now an undersecretary of the Navy.

"Introducing a new aircraft that promises to let the strike group do its work from beyond the maximum effective firing range of the anti-ship ballistic missile — or beyond its range entirely — represents a considerable boost in defensive potential for the carrier strike group," said James Holmes of the U.S. Naval War College.

Northrop Grumman has a six-year, $635.8 million contract to develop two of the planes, with more acquisitions expected if they work. A prototype of its X-47B took a maiden 29-minute flight in February at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Initial testing on carriers is planned for 2013.

Other makers including Boeing and Lockheed are also in the game. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. — the maker of the Predator drones used in the Afghan war — carried out wind tunnel tests in February. Spokeswoman Kimberly Kasitz said it was too early to divulge further details.

Some experts warn carrier-based drones are still untested and stress that Chinese advances have not rendered carriers obsolete.

"Drones, if they work, are just the next tech leap. As long as there is a need for tactical aviation launched from the sea, carriers will be useful weapons of war," said Michael McDevitt, a former commandant of the National War College in Washington, D.C., and a retired rear admiral whose commands included an aircraft carrier battle group.

Some analysts also note that China may be reluctant to instigate any fighting that could interfere with its trade.

Nan Li, an expert at the U.S. Naval War College's China Maritime Studies Institute, doubts China would try to attack a U.S. carrier.

"I am a skeptic of such an interpretation of Chinese strategy," he said. "But I do think the X-47B may still be a useful preventive capability for worst-case scenarios."

The Air Force and Navy both sponsored a project to develop carrier-based drones in the early 2000s, but the Air Force pulled out in 2005, leaving the Navy to fund the research.

Adm. Gary Roughhead, chief of naval operations, said last summer that the current goal of getting a handful of unmanned bombers in action by 2018 is "too damn slow."

"Seriously, we've got to have a sense of urgency about getting this stuff out there," he told a conference. "It could fundamentally change how we think of naval aviation."

US Keeps Up Pressure on Terrorists along the AF/PAK Border with Drone Strikes....Awesome use of the technology Dude !!

Looks like the US Military intends to keep the heat on for those feckless idiots who think they can hide out in the shite-wilds of the AF/PAK border.....Guess what? Just Like BIN LADEN, we will hunt you down and take you out.

Reminds me of the scene in the movie TOMBSTONE where Kurt Russell tells the outlaws who try to kill him & his family, " I see a man wearing a red sash, I kill him.....You tell them, I'm coming AND HELL'S COMING WITH ME ...You got that, HELL'S COMING WITH ME !!!"

Yup, Here's my heads up to the terrorist idiots out there who think they can hide in the hovels out there in the AF/PAK border region - We're coming for YOU and HELL's coming with us, on the wings of a Predator....

US Drone Strike Kills 15 Militants, Says Pakistan
Phillip Ittner Islamabad May 06, 2011
VOA News

Pakistani intelligence officials say a U.S. missile attack close to the Afghan border has killed at least 15 people.

Friday's drone attack was the first reported strike since Monday's pre-dawn U.S. commando raid that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

Authorities say the attack targeted a compound in North Waziristan, a stronghold of Taliban and al-Qaida militants on the border with Afghanistan.

U.S. drone strikes against militants based in Pakistan's tribal belt have been a source of friction between the two countries and Friday's strike could further inflame tensions between Islamabad and Washington.

Anti-US protests

And, with anti-U.S. protests taking across the country on Friday, security has been tightened further to quell any potential violence. Several Islamist groups demonstrated Friday against bin Laden's killing, saying more figures like him would arise to wage holy war against the United States.

Speaking to journalists outside the parliament building Friday, Chaudry Nisar, the head of the opposition in Pakistan's national assembly, called on the government to clarify outstanding questions about Osama Bin Laden and the U.S. raid that led to his death.

Nisar says the nation's honor has been trampled by the U.S. raid, and he says and for the government to conduct business as usual is not acceptable. He says someone must be found responsible and heads must roll.

Unpopular drones

U.S. drone strikes are extremely unpopular in Pakistan because of the perception of high civilian deaths from the missile attacks which are targeted militants along the Afghan border. Many Pakistani's feel strongly they are a violation of the country's sovereignty.

The Pakistani government said bin Laden's death was a milestone in the fight against militancy although it expressed objections to the raid which killed him as a violation of its sovereignty.

Mounting criticism

Since the covert mission, there has been widespread criticism in Pakistan about how the government has released information on the raid, and about the presence of Osama bin Laden on Pakistani soil. Many Pakistani's say the raid also exposed weaknesses in the country's defense, something Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir denied on Thursday.

"There is no reason for Pakistanis to feel demoralized," he said. "We are proud of our achievements. We are proud of our defense capabilities. We are proud of our armed forces. We are proud of our track record in anti-terror, which is equal to none. And I think we have to look to the future and not be mired in the past," Bashir said.

Pakistan has denied any knowledge of the al-Qaida leader's whereabouts. On Thursday the army threatened to cut intelligence and military cooperation with the United States if it mounted more attacks on Pakistani soil.

The 'Beast of Kandahar' Stealth Aircraft Quietly Resurfaces

One of the best unkept secrets in Kandahar Airbase is that " The Beast of Kandahar" is regularly seen flying over and around the skies of Afghanistan....There are many variants that have borne this moniker, but the latest is the RQ 170 Sentinel. Taking pictures of the flightline is strictly verboten but obviously it happens all too frequently.

Like most military vehicles, each specific type of drone has it's own specific tasking. Many are no more than mobile camera platforms. designed to be the eyes in the sky while others are tasked with finding the enemy and sending him "greetings" from above.....We like both but I personally find the 2nd type to be most effective. The enemy can't hear'em, can't see'em but sure has hell FEAR THEM....Awesome.

The existence of these vehicles is not a secret and a quick search on Google will show hundreds of example including the pics at the top of this column...Like I said, one of the best unkept secret in the AFGHN AOR.....also because the Taliban have seen what happens when one of these magnificent machines finds some of their brethren..Hopefully, the use of this technology will save Afghan civilians lives as it will take out the terrorists where they stand....Again, very awesome.


The 'Beast of Kandahar' Stealth Aircraft Quietly Resurfaces
By Clay Dillow - Popsci.com

All of a sudden it was there, but then like any good stealth aircraft it vanished. Now the “Beast of Kandahar” has resurfaced in new photos, spurring aviation and defense wonks to once again speculate about the function and purpose of such a stealthy-looking unmanned aerial system.

The Beast, also known as the Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel, first appeared in 2009 in the skies over Kandahar in Afghanistan. It was later revealed to be a product of Lockheed’s Skunk Works and property of the U.S. Air Force, but that’s about all that was revealed. What the RQ-170 is designed to do—or is doing in Afghanistan—remains under wraps.

Bill Sweetman, keeper of Aviation Week’s Ares blog and the civilian authority on the drone at this point, has speculated that aside from the obvious reconnaissance functions, the Beast could perhaps be configured to carry “a high-powered microwave source” to fry computers and electronic equipment on the ground, or an electronic jamming platform to support other aircraft. But at the official level, silence surrounds the Beast of Kandahar and its potential combat (or non-combat) functions, and quiet is exactly the way a secret stealth drone likes it.

A letter to Philip Alston, U.N. investigator on extrajudicial killings

News Item: Philip Alston, the independent U.N. investigator on extrajudicial killings reported today that "Governments must come clean on their methods for killing suspected terrorists and insurgents especially when using unmanned drones, because they may be committing war crimes " stated the New York University law professor.....

It reminds me of the conversation that Colonel Thomas Devoe (played by George Clooney) has with Dr. Julia Kelly (played by Nicole Kidman) in the movie, The Peacemaker:

Thomas Devoe: " Doctor, you can run your charts and your theories all you want. In the field, this is how it works: the good guys, that's us, we chase the bad guys. And they don't wear black hats. They are, however, all alike: they demand power, and respect...."

Enclosed is my response to the good Professor - I'm quite proud that I restrained myself from using the type of " Sailor Language" that he deserved when I sent him the enclosed message:

Sir -

I have read of your 29-page report to the U.N. Human Rights Council regarding the use of Drones on the battlefield, and specifically the way these drones are used. I am a retired US Navy Seabee and I was in Iraq for the Battle of Fallujah. Presently I work in Afghanistan, supporting US Military operations by working for a large military contractor. I have seen the effects of war, felt the heat of battle and understand the implications of what War means for both civilians and combatants. I have witnessed good men die and also what War does to the civilian population.

Sir, we are engaged with an enemy that does not recognize the " Rules of War ". They do not care for anyone, or anything and will kill women, children, old men and anyone else who in the area to accomplish their goal of killing westerners or anyone they consider as " Infidels". In fact, they will kill people of their own faith as a method of accomplishing what they want.

Here are the figures for the past month, May 2010

Monthly Jihad Report May, 2010
Jihad Attacks: 150
Countries: 14
Religions: 5
Dead Bodies: 729
Critically Injured: 1591

Sir, it must be easy to sit in your fine offices and pontificate regarding the use of drones, but the technology we utilize is the key advantage that we have over an enemy that hides among the populace and kills without hesitation, remorse or common decency. Our enemy does not wear a uniform and will hide among the populace and use them as human shields.

Sir, you need to spend some time on the ground in Afghanistan - visit a village where all the teachers were shot because they allowed young girls to attend school or where a shopkeepers and his family were murdered because they were thought to be cooperating with the Afghan Government & the US. Visit the wards of a few hospitals where the children who were wounded in a bomb blast at a market lie in beds, their lives forever changed because the terrorists wanted to run up a large body count to keep people in fear. Take a walk through a hospital ward at Bethesda Naval Hospital or Walter Reed where young warrior are trying to recover from roadside bombings or other attacks.

Our enemy is a group of murderous thugs who do not deserve any rights as they have deprived others of theirs. Once you have committed the unspeakable acts such as honor killings, beheadings, roadside bombings, hijackings, bombings of schools, Mosques and other place of worship, you have forfeited your right to be granted anything.

I include the words of Winston Churchill, who stood alone against another Terrorist. His opponent killed his own people by the millions. Churchill knew the heat of battle and I feel that may be the difference. You sit in posh offices while others, at the risk of their lives, pay for the very freedom you enjoy. Your freedom is provided by mainly 18-22 year old men & women who are out there, 24/7/365, defending our country and others against those who would wish us dead.

Sir Winston Churchill summed it up succinctly:

" We ask no favours of the enemy. We seek from them no compunction. On the contrary, if tonight our people were asked to cast their vote whether a convention should be entered into to stop the bombing of cities, the overwhelming majority would cry, "No, we will mete out to them the measure, and more than the measure, that they have meted out to us." The people with one voice would say: "You have committed every crime under the sun. Where you have been the least resisted there you have been the most brutal. It was you who began the indiscriminate bombing. We will have no truce or parley with you, or the grisly gang who work your wicked will. You do your worst - and we will do our best."

Sir Winston Churchill – English Prime Minister
First delivered 14 July 1941

I challenge your point of view sir because I feel it is shortsighted and allows the terrorists to continue their wicked killing sprees and would seek to make our protective forces "criminals". Many sought to cast doubt on the use of the Atomic Bombs on Hiroshima & Nagasaki at the end of World War II. I applaud President Truman for his Leadership, Courage and determination to put a stop to a war that had cost the lives of innocent millions.

I seek the same for our forces here and around the world. Ask Daniel Pearl's widow how she feels, or any of the families of those killed on 9/11. I am sure you will get the same answer that I have given you.

" We will have no truce or parley with you, or the grisly gang who work your wicked will. You do your worst - and we will do our best."

I agree with the Late Winston Churchill 100% and will do my best to support all those who seek an end to these murderous thugs, by any means necessary.

Sincerely,

Middleboro Jones
US Navy Veteran OIF
Presently at Camp Leatherneck
Helmand Province, Afghanistan.