Iran says it can make copy of captured CIA drone
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran is now capable of manufacturing its own copies of an advanced CIA spy drone captured last year, a senior Iranian lawmaker said Wednesday.
Avaz Heidarpour, a member of the parliament's national security committee, said experts have reverse-engineered the RQ-170 Sentinel drone, and Iran now is capable of launching a production line for the unmanned aircraft.
"Iranian experts examined and analyzed the RQ-170 drone. Its parts were brought down so that all files and boards of the drone were copied and used to improve Iran's unmanned aircraft," he told the parliament's website, icana.ir, on Wednesday.
Heidarpour said production of RQ-170 drone cost the U.S. around $20 billion, but the expensive technology is now in Iran's possession through reverse engineering.
The Sentinel went down in December. Iran claimed it took control of it and landed it, but U.S. officials said the drone malfunctioned and had to land. They eventually confirmed the plane was monitoring Iran's military and nuclear facilities. Washington asked for it back, but Iran refused, and instead released photos of Iranian officials studying the aircraft.
Iranian officials said the data recovered from the drone showed it did not carry out any missions on Iran's nuclear facilities.
Iranian officials frequently announce technological and military breakthroughs, most of which are impossible to confirm independently.
Iranian Deputy Minister of Science, Research and Technology Mohammad Mahdinejad said last week that Iran is now exporting its domestically manufactured drones to several countries, including Syria and Venezuela.
Mahdinejad said Iran is now a global leader in drone technology and that its export of drones to other countries demonstrated of Iran's advanced capability in designing and operating unmanned aircrafts.
Heidarpour's comment came two days after Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it decoded all data from the drone that went down near Iran's eastern border with Afghanistan.
Tehran had previously said it recovered information from the top-secret stealth aircraft, but Guard's announcement suggested that technicians may have broken encryptions.
Last week, the Guard claimed it captured another U.S. drone after it entered Iranian airspace over the Persian Gulf, showing an image of what it said was a Boeing-designed ScanEagle drone on state TV.
The ScanEagle is a small, relatively simple drone. The U.S. has said none of its drones were missing, but one or more might have fallen into the sea over the past months.
The Islamic Republic has been trumpeting its possession of the drones in an attempt to embarrass Washington over its alleged surveillance of Iran's disputed nuclear program.
Guard commanders said Iran had previously acquired a ScanEagle drone and produced a copy of it, but they have not provided evidence to back up their claim.
Last month, Tehran claimed that a U.S. drone violated its airspace. The Pentagon said an unmanned Predator aircraft came under fire at least twice while flying over international waters, but it was not hit.
Avaz Heidarpour, a member of the parliament's national security committee, said experts have reverse-engineered the RQ-170 Sentinel drone, and Iran now is capable of launching a production line for the unmanned aircraft.
"Iranian experts examined and analyzed the RQ-170 drone. Its parts were brought down so that all files and boards of the drone were copied and used to improve Iran's unmanned aircraft," he told the parliament's website, icana.ir, on Wednesday.
Heidarpour said production of RQ-170 drone cost the U.S. around $20 billion, but the expensive technology is now in Iran's possession through reverse engineering.
The Sentinel went down in December. Iran claimed it took control of it and landed it, but U.S. officials said the drone malfunctioned and had to land. They eventually confirmed the plane was monitoring Iran's military and nuclear facilities. Washington asked for it back, but Iran refused, and instead released photos of Iranian officials studying the aircraft.
Iranian officials said the data recovered from the drone showed it did not carry out any missions on Iran's nuclear facilities.
Iranian officials frequently announce technological and military breakthroughs, most of which are impossible to confirm independently.
Iranian Deputy Minister of Science, Research and Technology Mohammad Mahdinejad said last week that Iran is now exporting its domestically manufactured drones to several countries, including Syria and Venezuela.
Mahdinejad said Iran is now a global leader in drone technology and that its export of drones to other countries demonstrated of Iran's advanced capability in designing and operating unmanned aircrafts.
Heidarpour's comment came two days after Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it decoded all data from the drone that went down near Iran's eastern border with Afghanistan.
Tehran had previously said it recovered information from the top-secret stealth aircraft, but Guard's announcement suggested that technicians may have broken encryptions.
Last week, the Guard claimed it captured another U.S. drone after it entered Iranian airspace over the Persian Gulf, showing an image of what it said was a Boeing-designed ScanEagle drone on state TV.
The ScanEagle is a small, relatively simple drone. The U.S. has said none of its drones were missing, but one or more might have fallen into the sea over the past months.
The Islamic Republic has been trumpeting its possession of the drones in an attempt to embarrass Washington over its alleged surveillance of Iran's disputed nuclear program.
Guard commanders said Iran had previously acquired a ScanEagle drone and produced a copy of it, but they have not provided evidence to back up their claim.
Last month, Tehran claimed that a U.S. drone violated its airspace. The Pentagon said an unmanned Predator aircraft came under fire at least twice while flying over international waters, but it was not hit.
You Know all the comets here that think that these people are dumb or stupid is peoples way of being ignorant, I may not like what Iran does and I may not like the "Enemy" but Damn it when you lose respect for them and you go spouting off ignorant thoughts as to t these people being stupid and what not, that is pure ignorance at its best or fear speaking.
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China Successfully launched a rocket, Iran is building nuclear facilities despite the massive worm attacks made on them.. So Tell me, With all that we have done to stop them, did it stop them? no, if made them more determined. Sn Sanctions Failed, Worm Failed, Threat still exists.
Who is winning? Id don't give a crap rather you like them or not..these people are not totally stupid.
LMAO 'They asked for it back' stupid liberals..
@Neo In 2001 George Bush requested the return of an EP-3 aircraft that made an emergency landing on the Chinese Island of Hainan. The aircraft was spying on the Chinese coastline.
Hopefully they blow themselves up
Even if Iran reversed engineered all the individual parts that make up the aircraft there are still several significant barriers to copying the aircraft. First, and most significant, would be flight control software, which they do have the source code for (it is in a âcompiledâ state on the aircraft's computer). Second, all of the production line tooling, which has years of engineering and development behind it. Finally, The aircraft surely uses coatings to reduce its radar signature. These chemical compounds would be virtually impossible to reverse engineer. At best they will end up with a less stealthy, lower quality aircraft that does not fly as well, but looks just like an RQ-170.
 @Vince009 This was a ScanEagle, not an RQ-170. The US isn't the only country that knows how the coating that makes it stealthy is made, China & Russia and others continue to advance. Generally speaking, the plane is so small anyway it really isn't going to show up on radar anyway.
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Yes, the flight software UI that the CIA/military uses is probably impossible to replicate, but there a number of products on the marked now that could be adapted to fit their needs.
 @Jamie  @Vince009Â
I can imagine that almost any of the RC helicopters that will fly autonomously if out of radio range will work. Some actually have GPS and will fly back to the launching coordinates. Those can be had for about $4000 for a nice one.
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The article is wrong.
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RQ-170
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_RQ-170_Sentinel
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ScanEagle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_ScanEagle
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You tell ME which one it is.
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 @Repoman  @Vince009  @Jamie the news only gets about 5% of the facts correct. this report is close enough for todays "news".
@Repoman @Jamie The Iranian Government claims to have reverse engineered both aircraft. The photo is of ScanEagle, however most of the article refers to the RQ-170.
The coating is relatively small aspect (hence the low position on my list of challenges) The actual geometry of the aircraft is the main thing that affects radar signature. The main challenge in copying the aircraft would be the flight controls. Tail-less (and therefore rudder-less) designs and inherently VERY unstable and require constant minute flight control manipulation to maintain stable flight. ScanEagle is little more than a fancy hobby RC plane with a camera. There is very little risk Iran having an operable copy of it.
@Jamie From the article...."Avaz Heidarpour, a member of the parliament's national security committee, said experts have reverse-engineered the RQ-170 Sentinel drone, and Iran now is capable of launching a production line for the unmanned aircraft."
@Jamie I know what an RQ-170 is and I know what ScanEagle is. Yes, ScanEagle is pictured and they recently claim to have captured one. This announcement however, is in regard to the RQ-170 that they captured a year ago.
 @Vince009  Look up what an RQ-170 is. This is NOT one of those.
 @Vince009 Yep, they might have copied down the specs of each component, but the materials manufacturing and software development is going to ensure they'll be flying a third rate mockup at best.
 @browntown  @Vince009 I don't think so, if they manage to get a hold of the programming, the infrequence and the like were looking at a way where they can return in kind. Any one thinking hat these people are fools haven't a clue, After all aren't we Yankees the ones Purchasing Fuel from them, Who is the biggest fool?
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I can say this for certain we only see what they want us to see. We don't even have a clue as to there real education and intelligence.. And if were so damn smart, why haven't we eradicated the threat?
This development along with their nuclear weapons is rather alarming.
 @RalphCramden I find it more humorous than alarming. Let them have their little 'victory'... won't do them a lot of good when the rain starts fallin.
 @RalphCramden Hey, Ralph. You should check out Boeing's new CHAMP missile.That's an interesting new form of warfare.
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Other than that, shooting down a UAV is ridiculously easy. If a UAV appeared over American airspace, it would be shot down. If it happened over international waters, the Navy is going to say "What UAV?"
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To me, the idea of allowing North Korea and Iran to get nukes is like saying "We should ban guns, and only let the bad guys manufacture them. And when they do, all we're going to do about it is taunt them and give them excuses to use it."
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One word, Faraday cage. Okay, that two words but a easy defense against the Champ. In fact homes with stucco siding have problems getting radio signals through and often time cell phones do not work.
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Yes, UAV's are slow and easy to shoot down. A guy in a Cessna and a .22 rifle could do it. But they are small, and with radar reduced coatings would have the signature of a fly.
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I agree with you on the way we deal with NK and Iran. We just talk and do nothing. One of these days there will be a nuclear detonation somewhere and that will get our attention.
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As in medicine someone has to die before things change. The sacrificial lamb so to speak.
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They have been extensively tested by the DOD and telecommunications. I have shielded Cat6 and it is much better when close to electronics that unshielded Cat6. All the shielding is nothing more than a long Faraday cage the length of the cable.
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My dad worked for the military and one of his projects was to test against electronic radiation. After he retired he designed doors for microwave ovens. Older ones were required to have warnings about pacemakers in close proximity to microwaves. After his door design they had no effect on pacemakers and radiation from microwaves are less than that of a cell phone.
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The DOD tests them at all frequencies and have found that even a close knit chain link fence can be a deterrent to low levels of radiation. With higher energy levels they are not grounded enough to bleed off the radiation.
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Steel reinforced building will act as a Faraday cage and will shield some radiation unless it is a nuclear EMP. But if, during construction, a cage was incorporated into the design it would be very effective at stopping radiation. The biggest issue is grounding. That means that the cage has to be exposed to the air which means rust or expensive stainless steel.
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One of the best Faraday cages is the Van Allen Belts which allow us to live in this planet. While it is a magnetic Faraday Cage it does work and works very well. Unfortunately high magnetism is just what electronics don't need.
 @RalphCramden The problem with Faraday cages is there is no way to really test them. But yes, you're exactly right.