Taliban capture a NATO plane in northern Afghan province

[Yeller_Gait]

Just being reported on Xinhua news website

KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Taliban militants captured a NATO plane in Kunduz province north of Afghanistan Wednesday morning, a local official said but declined to be named.
Meantime, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed that the militants captured a reconnaissance plane in Qalai Zal district at 09:00 .a.m. local time Wednesday.
An official with NATO-led forces in Kunduz province also confirmed the incident. "A reconnaissance UAD plane made emergency landing in Yangariq area of Qalai Zal district this morning," Lieutenant Colonel Weber told Xinhua.
However, he did not say if there were any crews inside the plane.
Meanwhile, Syed Ibrahim Turkman, police chief of Qalai Zal district, in talks with Xinhua confirmed that Yangariq area is in the control of Taliban militants.
This is the first time that Taliban insurgents captured a NATO plane over the past nine years.
Taliban capture a NATO plane in northern Afghan province (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-07/28/c_13419226.htm)

[Gainesy]

I guess UAD is this week's Yuckspeak for a Drone?

Uninhabited Aviation Doodah?

[onetrack]

With a bit of luck, it has a remotely operated self-destruct device in it, and it goes off, right as a bunch of Muj gather around it for the celebratory photo shoot... :suspect:

[L J R]

To Quote Dos Gringos - It was a good day.

[Laarbruch72]

A reconnaissance UAD plane made emergency landing in Yangariq area of Qalai Zal district this morning," Lieutenant Colonel Weber told Xinhua.
Since UAD stands for "Unmanned Aerial Drone", I liked the following sentence.
However, he did not say if there were any crews inside the plane.
:hmm:

[Double Zero]

As it would be immensely preferable to have the thing go straight in vertically rather than be 'captured' am I right in thinking a default safe landing mode prevented this ?

[heloguy412]

Have seen the camera still working after a crash. Operators then waited til a large group of Tban were in the area and then used a PGM to take out the wreckage.:E

[skippedonce]

'Operators then waited til a large group of Tban were in the area and then used a PGM to take out the wreckage.http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/evil.gif'

Do you mean inquisitive locals dressed like they live there, and therefore may or may not be Taiban, or positively identifed enemy combatants?:ugh:

[mr fish]

out of curiosity, do any of the current generation of uav's have some sort of "mission impossible" style self destruct facility

one would imagine a charge located near the "sensitive" electronics might do the trick.

[Buster Hyman]

Maybe they have just surrounded it & are planning to starve the crew out of it?

[heloguy412]

When they arrive with RPG's they are not considered friendlies:ok:

[L J R]

do any of the current generation of uav's have some sort of "mission impossible" style self destruct facility

I would like to tell you, but

...as usual, this message will self destruct in 10 seconds...

..so after you read this post, the data will be erased.

[500N]

"out of curiosity, do any of the current generation of uav's have some sort of "mission impossible" style self destruct facility

one would imagine a charge located near the "sensitive" electronics might do the trick."


The US has to shoot one down with an F 15 in Afghanistan that they had lost control of and was going to fly into another country so maybe not.

[Phil_R]

Point of order

Most of the "sensitive military secrets" in current drones seem to be strangely compatible with the much less sensitive, much less military, much less secretive stack of gear in the back of every SISlink truck (http://www.sislive.tv/uplinks-vehicles.php) in the world.

Only difference is that the SISlink trucks usually have optional encryption. :rolleyes:

[500N]

Phil

Probably very true. Maybe some of the cameras used might be a bit
above the average and in the realm of "sensitive military secrets".

[glad rag]

half way to china by now....

[BOAC]

....or on e-bay and being bid for by Mo'L

[onetrack]

A blonde secretary was overheard discussing this news item just yesterday... and she was heard to say... "I hope the Taliban don't hurt the little people, who have to sit in, and fly those things..." :E

[Double Zero]

OneTrack,

That account of the secretary is probably true in my experience !

When a chap from 'product support' and the secretary he was trying to impress ( and yes she was blonde as it happens ) were shown a photo in our office of JF flying an FRS1 at low level , he pointed out the pitot probe, describing its' purpose.

She replied " Oh, I thought it was for styling " !

DZ

[monkeytennis]

Reminds me of when the Concorde crash was all over the papers, a huge image of the crash site (into a hotel if you remember) on the front page.

A (blonde, female) colleague announced "I didn't know they had bathtubs in Concorde".

:}