Tehran (CNN) — Iran declared Sunday it has “cracked the codes” of the intelligence gathering system of a U.S. spy drone it captured last year for violating its airspace, the nation’s semiofficial media reported.
Tehran bragged about seizing the unmanned U.S. drone aircraft with stealth technology in December and displayed it on national television as a victory for Iran.
Months later, an Iranian senior military official declared armed forces have extracted data from it to prove a point to the Pentagon, which they said expressed doubt Tehran can be able to decode it.
“This plane is seen as a national capital for us and our words should not disclose all the information that we have very easily,” Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh was quoted as saying by the semiofficial Fars News Agency.
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/04/22/world/meast/iran-us-plane/index.html
You cant get data from styrofoam and fiberglass, you can try though I guess…
Mike, a UAV is not just a fibreglass plane, it a very sophicated bunch of electronics and sensors, cameras etc, as well as recording and down-linking equipment. A nice acquisition for the Iranis and their friends.
Interestimg that it was decided that a retrieval or destruction mission was decided against on the grounds that “It would constitute an act of war”. But drone assasinations ion Yemen, Pakistan and elsewhere, frequently killing lots of innocent civilians, are not?
I think they managed to get it away and into a school before it was found after the loss.