Iranian military tests suicide drone

[bananas]

Source: Associated Press

Iran’s army said Saturday it has deployed a suicide drone for the first time in massive ongoing military drills near the strategic Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Persian Gulf.

Gen. Ahmad Reza Pourdastan, the army’s chief commander of ground forces, described the unmanned aircraft as a “mobile bomb,” according to state media, which said the aerial device is designed to strike air, ground and naval targets.

<snip>

The six-day military exercise is being carried out over 850,000 square miles near the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway through which one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes.

Iran frequently touts advances in its homegrown aerospace industries. It says its most advanced drone, the Shahed-129, can reach much of the Middle East, including Israel. The drone is said to have a range of 1,050 miles and a 24-hour flight capability, and can carry eight bombs or missiles capable of hitting both stationary and moving targets.

Read more: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2014/dec/28/iranian-military-tests-suicide-drone/

[NutmegYankee]

1. Suicide drone? Isn't that just a guided or cruise missile?

[Fred Sanders]

4. Yes. But since it is Iran you want to make things as scary as possible.

[NutmegYankee]

7. Meh. Iran seeks to send the same message every nation hopes to send with arms tests.

"Don't fuck with us!" Unfortunately for them, their military releases usually invoke laughter rather than fear or respect.

[Fred Sanders]

9. Like America's 200 nuclear suicide bomb tests? That kind of not messing with....us?

.............

Message received after the first one......THIS is what scares me, fuck some tin pot drone.

[NutmegYankee]

10. And Russia, France, Britain, India, Pakistan, North Korea.

Any nation that can will demonstrate why they shouldn't be attacked. What goes wrong with Iran is they either Photoshop the image or make outlandish statements to go along with the tests.

[Ash_F]

13. Our tests also often end in laughter. But not the good kind

[NutmegYankee]

28. I could understand how the airforce feels neglected.

They are just targets. Our real hidden deterrent force is under the waves.

[Ash_F]

34. The only reason there wasn't anything embarrassing about subs in that video

...was because you can't deliver pizzas to one. Whatever mishaps happen out in the ocean, stay in the ocean and nobody hears about it. Until someone dies.

They don't feel neglected. They are not being held accountable. There is a difference.


The military is not competent nor motivated to handle these weapons properly. Americans need to take them away.

[NutmegYankee]

37. unaccountable. Not a word associated with Naval Reactors or the Sub community

I trust the Navy more than anyone to hand nuclear tech, especially reactors.

[PosterChild]

26. Good point! (nt)

[PosterChild]

25. "Suicide" seems to be...

... Iranian general's characterization, according to the Iranian press. Not the AP.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=975267

[Bosonic]

2. The only drawback of the Suicide Drone is that it isn't stealthy

[DeSwiss]

6. !

[Fred Sanders]

3. So every inanimate object that explodes is on a suicide mission? Propaganda at its worst...does it

come with a suicide vest?

This is hilarious, some writer-fool thinks himself quite clever, no?

And look out for all those suicide bullets flying around.....

Sucide bombs, suicide bullets, suicide nuclear missiles, suicide drones........hilarious.

[ctsnowman]

5. Exactly!

[PosterChild]

24. The term "suicide"...

... Iranian general's characterization, according to the Iranian press. Not some "fool writer" with the AP.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=975267

[TexasProgresive]

8. When the bomb in the "drone" explodes

does the remote operator die?
Suicide drone indeed. My first thought was the old V-1 German buzz bomb.

[dixiegrrrrl]

11. Excellent question.

To be fair, that should happen.
Otherwise a "suicide drone" is just what we used to call ...a bomb.

[Archae]

12. Germany had a "suicide" drone in WW2

They called it the "V-1."

We have one we call a "cruise missile"

[trusty elf]

14. This is the V-1 hanging from the ceiling in the Smithsonian.

I took a picture of it and made a photomontage.

[img][/img]

[Archae]

16. I saw it back in 1996.

And I've seen videos like this one:

[Just for Fun]

22. I just saw this yesterday

Air and space museum in VA. Scary looking

[Ellipsis]

15. ...sounds kinda redundant like texting on cell phone

[PFunk]

17. Um. also called a guilded cruise missle in english

But that's not as 'sexy' to AP as "suicide drone". Just saying (idiots).

[PosterChild]

23. "Suicide" was the...

... Iranian general's characterization, according to the Iranian press.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=975267

[Turbineguy]

18. Kind of cool really,

The drone comes over, blows a bunch of unarmed civilians to smithereens and then the operator shoots himself.

[freshwest]

19. The drone itself is unmanned, I doubt the operator shoots himself, it's the drone that's destroyed.

or commits suicide by design, that energy will destroy a disposble object delivering it.

AP is just trying to gin up the same old bogeymen with the word 'suicide.' It has that old Islamist ring to it. They'e just pandering the chickenhawks.

Sure you know all that I said, I just doubt the operator is going to 'off' himself for performing any of those missions.

We seem to be reverting back an older time because there isn't enough money for more sophisticated and durable weaponry. The drone is the modern version of a catapault, killing from a distance.

JMHO, not disputing what you are saying here generally. I don't think the common meaning of suicide applies here at all.

[PosterChild]

21. No, "suicide" was the...

... Iranian general's characterization, according to the Iranian press.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=975267

[freshwest]

30. Yes, I see that. I don't click all links. That website in the OP doesn't load well for me.

Still isn't a drone's purpose, just the nature of explosives, IMO. Perhaps the Iranians wanted to scare someone themselves. Thanks for the correction!

[PosterChild]

32. It was a bear...

...trying to find the original source of the story. When one news source quotes / references another, I think they should provide enough concrete information (if not an actual link) to be able to easy find the original article or press release.

[freshwest]

33. Possibly wouldn't fit LBN guidelines if it was older, though. Hard to tell with 'updated' stories.

And thanks for looking up the original, it really adds to it.

[PosterChild]

20. "Suicide attacks" was the term used in the Iranian press...

... at least in the English reports:

Pourdastan elaborated on the drones used by the Iranian Ground Forces in the drills, and said a new type of these drones can be used for suicide attacks against air or ground targets.

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13931004000765

So characterizing it as a "suicide drone" is not exactly the invention of the AP. It seems to come from the fact that the "drone" doesn't fire missiles and then return to base; instead, it crashes itself into the target and is destroyed along with it.

[Fred Sanders]

27. So, like any other missile?

[PosterChild]

29. As near as I can figure....

... yes, except that as a drone it would have "man-in-the-loop" guidance. REAL guided / cruise missiles are generally fully autonomous. The "suicide" characterization seems to be an attempt to make a weakness (that it can't launch a missile and return), into some sort of a lame virtue. It's entirely possible that the only battlefield it is actually fit for is on You-Tube.

[jmowreader]

31. Interesting...

It has just enough range to reach Israel and fly around a bit bombing multiple targets before it crashes into something.

And even more interesting:


This is a Shahed-129, which is Iran's "suicide drone."


This is an MQ-9 Reaper, which we try to get back after every mission.

Pay particular attention to the tail.

[kentauros]

35. We just have to talk the bomb out of exploding.

[arely staircase]

36. hats off to the Iranians

That is the best spin on "our drone has the range to make it to Israel but not back" I can imagine.

[dembotoz]

38. upon death does it get virgin drones

[yurbud]

39. Suicide done is an oxymoron