http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/08/world/mea ... ?hpt=hp_t2

Cant really tell if its real or not. Guess we have to wait and see what the US government comes out with.

If they did intercept the signals and take control then WOW, good on them. It was over their airspace so they are entitled to have a go at it!

If it's the true aircraft and not a mock-up, and if the Iranian managed to take its control and land it safely, Iran wins 1-0 against the biggest military power in the world.
It's not easy to tell if it's the real aircraft. First of all, look at its colour: I'm an eager scale modeller, and the yellowish grey paint visible on this aircraft is not very familiar to me. It's a middle between sand brown and zinc-chromate primer. I suppose this a/c would have been used at very high flight levels, so I think it would have been painted with a grey colour, such as Gunship Grey (the darker grey used on the F-16s or on the F-15E) or Dark Ghost Grey. It looks unpainted to me instead. I would have used a protective coat to preserve the surface.
Moreover, it doesn't wear any USAF marking, there are just a few stencils here and there.
BUT there is a detail that is visible on the real aircraft: look at this photo
http://jalopnik.com/5797643/the-secret- ... -bin-laden

If you look very close at the leading egde of the right wing, you will see two faint darker vertical stripes, which are very well visible on the "captured" drone. But:
1) the landing gear is not visible. So the aircraft might have been put on a pedestal because they have no idea about its features and shape.
2) if I actually captured the aircraft I would have been more careful in handling that delicate stealth surface. So, if the Iranians have been so smart to capture the real aircraft, why using scotch tape (visible in the video!) to attach the "skull spangled banner" and the other propaganda banners on the aircraft?
3) I don't believe they actually managed to steal control of this a/c.
I'm more than sure that's it's a very good 1:1 scale representation of the real thing!

I tend to agree with you, Giacomo. I think this is a propaganda stunt by the Iranians.

Agreed. They have it alright but it's in about a thousand pieces I think.

Also look at the screen that they put into the intake and compare that to the screens covering the intakes on the F-117, not even close and I'm not even sure the real RQ-170 has a screen covering its intake. If you bury the fan far enough down in the intake, the radar beams can't really get in AND back out.

BTW, do I keep working on the AI version or what??

Yeah, why not?

there are probably more in the arsenal

Firebird wrote:Yeah, why not?

Not much point if it was a one off. Let's hope not.

I can't find any estimates at a production quantity but they formed a sqn at Tonopah in 2005. This would indicate numbers rather than one. Also reports have them operating in South Korea as well.

@Mike, at least you can tell the size of the thing with personnel next to it. Is your model looking about the correct scale?

MIKE JG wrote:Agreed. They have it alright but it's in about a thousand pieces I think.

Also look at the screen that they put into the intake and compare that to the screens covering the intakes on the F-117, not even close and I'm not even sure the real RQ-170 has a screen covering its intake. If you bury the fan far enough down in the intake, the radar beams can't really get in AND back out.

Right, that's another important detail: the grill on the air intake doesn't look very "stealth".
Anyway, I think there might as well be a grill: when spinning, the engine fan is actually a "flat" thing which does reflect radar beams. That aircraft looks too small to host an "S" shaped intake duct as the ones one can find on the F-22 and (I think) the B-2. In those cases there is no grill, but you can't see the fan because the shaping of the duct actually hides it. Have a look here
http://www.defence.pk/forums/military-p ... takes.html

Hi-res pics
http://theaviationist.com/2011/12/08/stealth-pix/

Read the comments below that photo, pretty funny stuff.

Also note that there are inflight pics of this thing from side angles where it clearly doesn't have a screen in the intake like this mockup does.

well lets hope the us government says something about the pics

I'm sure our govt is quite embarrassed right now. I doubt they say anything. In fact, at this point, the less they say the better.

I read a comment by the webmaster of the site I linked and he said this might as well be a Trojan horse...

can I have my toy back please !!


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16150384



Oops

"No, you used it on the wrong property! Or let me study your toy at least..."

interesting...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45685870/ns ... e_monitor/