RQ-4N/MQ-4C Shot Down

Corsair1963 · by **Corsair1963** » 24 Jun 2019, 01:09

Honestly, looking more and more like a conflict is all but inevitable. As the US is going to place even more sanctions on Iran starting tomorrow. Which, means Iran is likely to push the envelope even further.

blain · by **blain** » 24 Jun 2019, 20:11

marsavian wrote:US 'launched cyber-attack on Iran weapons systems'

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-48735097

https://news.yahoo.com/pentagon-secretl ... 20824.html

Cyber attacks are fleeting unless they are used in conjunction with kinetic operations such as the Israeli attack of the Syrian nuclear site. They also expose the tool to being neutralized. You cannot go back to it and use it in a another attack like with cruise missiles because your adversary usually find a way to plug the security hole.

Stuxnet was probably the most successful cyber attack, destroying a number of Iran's enrichment centrifuges. It allegedly destroyed 1/5 of Iran's centrifuges. It's is likely that a kinetic attack would have had a greater impact.

weasel1962 · by **weasel1962** » 25 Jun 2019, 03:28

Its quite ironic that the RQ-4 almost got retired in 2013 and yet its still on the frontlines today. Same goes with the U-2.

I'm also surprised it hasn't re-sparked the U-2 vs GH debate. If that was a manned U-2 shot down, it wouldn't be a cyber-attack going Iran's way.

Checking GH inventory. 45 GH built. 7 Blk 10, 6 Blk 20, 21 Blk 30, 11 Blk 40. At least 9 accidents, 5 for the blk 10, 2 Blk 20 and the rest Blk 30/40 not counting the latest shoot down which is probably a blk 30. The Blk 10s are no longer in service. The blk 20 are converted to EQ-4s so that leaves ~29.

weasel1962 · by **weasel1962** » 26 Nov 2019, 04:24

RQ-4 Block 30s to be retired? Watch next year's budget...

https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/11/18/ch ... awk-drone/

marauder2048 · by **marauder2048** » 27 Nov 2019, 10:27

weasel1962 wrote:RQ-4 Block 30s to be retired? Watch next year's budget...

https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/11/18/ch ... awk-drone/

There's the minor issue of the Congressional ban that prevents retiring the RQ-4.

weasel1962 · by **weasel1962** » 27 Nov 2019, 10:48

They might weasel out of this by stating they're not retiring the RQ-4s, just the blk-30s...

Wording on the limitation is on sec 136 of the attached.
https://www.congress.gov/115/plaws/publ ... publ91.htm