The Taliban’s First Drone? Not Quite

So, some pictures of a micro-UAV that was found during a raid on insurgent supply cache in Helmand Province, Afghanistan recently emerged on the Internet prompting some to wonder if this example of one of the Taliban or al Qaeda’s first ever homemade drones. I can almost guarantee it’s not. What I can (almost) guarantee is that the little drone shown above is a Lockheed Martin-made Desert Hawk drone that went down — likely due to an accident — while being operated by NATO forces. Remember, UAVs crash pretty frequently and small, cheap ones like the Desert Hawk can go down for a number of reasons ranging from bad weather to straying too far from the unit that launched it and losing its connection with the laptop that’s controlling it.

Full article: http://defensetech.org/2012/05/21/the-talibans-first-dron...

Tweets

@chuckay » 29 May '12, 10pm
RT @klightowler: RT @Hfuhs: The Taliban’s First Drone? Not Quite - [link] <-- lol, probably fitted with a tracking device
@klightowler » 29 May '12, 10pm
RT @Hfuhs: The Taliban’s First Drone? Not Quite - [link] <-- lol, probably fitted with a tracking device
@TyrellMayfield » 22 May '12, 3pm
Breaking news... @drunkenpredator's drone-child rescued from Taliban safehaven. [link]
@norrad » 22 May '12, 1pm
[link] The comments are more... [link]
@swin24 » 22 May '12, 12pm
lol RT @Aelkus: So a drone went down and you can't fly it. Bummer. Why not use it as a beer coaster....oh wait [link]
@dreadpiratemick » 22 May '12, 12pm
RT @Aelkus: So a drone went down and you can't fly it. Bummer. Why not use it as a beer coaster....oh wait [link] //
@Aelkus » 22 May '12, 12pm
So a drone went down and you can't fly it. Bummer. Why not use it as a beer coaster....oh wait [link] //
@ToyotaEquipment » 22 May '12, 2am
PHOTOS: Via @DefenseTech - The Taliban’s First Drone? Not Quite - [link] #military
@01101O10 » 21 May '12, 8pm
The Taliban's First Drone? Not Quite [link] via @NANewsApp
@hsawan » 21 May '12, 7pm
The Taliban’s First Drone? Not Quite: So, some pictures of a micro-UAV that was found during ... [link] | @Shahidmasooddr
@HonorThem » 21 May '12, 7pm
via Defense Blog | The Taliban’s First Drone? Not Quite [link] #Military #Defense
@RockyII3 » 21 May '12, 7pm
The Taliban’s First Drone? Not Quite [link] @mashable @google
@RockyII3 » 21 May '12, 7pm
Defense Technology! The Taliban’s First Drone? Not Quite [link] @google @aplusk
@FLIndustrialnet » 21 May '12, 7pm
RT @defensetech The Taliban’s First Drone? Not Quite: So, some pictures of a micro-UAV that was found during a r... [link]
@DefconNews » 21 May '12, 7pm
The Taliban’s First Drone? Not Quite: So, some pictures of a micro-UAV that was found during a raid on insurgent... [link]
@DTNMilitary » 21 May '12, 7pm
DTN Military News: The Taliban’s First Drone? Not Quite: So, some pictures of a micro-UAV that was found during ... [link]
@MauroVS » 21 May '12, 7pm
#DefenseTech The Taliban’s First Drone? Not Quite [link]
@Hfuhs » 29 May '12, 10pm
The Taliban’s First Drone? Not Quite - [link]
@LibyaKingdom » 22 May '12, 6pm
The Taliban’s First Drone? Not Quite [link]
@MoustafaHamdan » 22 May '12, 6pm
The Taliban’s First Drone? Not Quite [link]
@phoenix_cc » 22 May '12, 12am
The Taliban’s First Drone? Not Quite: So, some pictures of a micro-UAV that was found during a raid on insurgent... [link]
@LaurieACarlson » 22 May '12, 12am
The Taliban’s First Drone? Not Quite: So, some pictures of a micro-UAV that was found during a raid on insurgent... [link]
@PacketknifeToo » 21 May '12, 7pm
The Taliban’s First Drone? Not Quite [link]
@Paragraph11 » 21 May '12, 7pm
The Taliban’s First Drone? Not Quite: So, some pictures of a micro-UAV that was found during a raid on insurgent... [link]