In early December reports that a secret U.S. surveillance drone crashed in Iran. The RQ-170 Sentinel drone is the most hard-to-detect drone in the U.S. military arsenal. The Iranian government has the drone and has shown no indication that it will be returning it to the United States. There are concerns that the technology stored in the drone will be copied and replicated by Iran and China.
U.S. Officials have announced that the drone crashed because of a yet to be determined malfunction.
In somewhat related news, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are studying to find the critical speed above which birds and drones are sure to crash:
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- The northern goshawk is one of nature’s diehard thrill-seekers. The formidable raptor preys on birds and small mammals, speeding through tree canopies and underbrush to catch its quarry. With reflexes that rival a fighter pilot’s, the goshawk zips through a forest at high speeds, constantly adjusting its flight path to keep from colliding with trees and other obstacles.
