“The officials said the drone encounter was considered ‘unsafe and unprofessional.'” How the weakness and pusillanimity of American leadership, and all its impotent schoolmarmish tut-tutting, must amuse the Iranians. “Hitler reoccupies Rhineland — French say it’s ‘unsafe and unprofessional.’”
It’s not “unprofessional.” It’s a deliberate and calculated provocation. Cowardice in the face of an aggressive bully only emboldens the bully and encourages him to do more bullying. That is where we are with Iran today: once again, it is showing the U.S. who’s boss, and seeing how far it can push the Trump administration. How far can it push the Trump administration?
“Iranian drone forces US jet to take evasive action,” by Barbara Starr and Ryan Browne, CNN, August 8, 2017:
(CNN)An Iranian drone came within 100 feet of a US Navy F/A-18 attempting to land on the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday, according to two US defense officials with knowledge of the incident. The officials said the drone forced the US aircraft to take evasive action.
The “QOM-1” drone came within 100 feet below the aircraft and 200 feet to the side of the aircraft. The F/A-18 was in a landing pattern several thousand feet off the deck of the ship waiting to land.
The F/A-18 maneuvered repeatedly to avoid the drone officials said and it did not appear to be armed.
The officials said the drone encounter was considered “unsafe and unprofessional.”
The US used an emergency radio frequency in the immediate area to warn those operating the drone to back away. It did eventually move off.
US Naval Forces Central Command issued a statement later Tuesday confirming the incident.
It said the US jet “had an unsafe and unprofessional interaction with an Iranian QOM-1 unmanned aerial vehicle,” adding that “despite repeated radio calls to stay clear of active fixed-wing flight operations,” the Iranian drone “executed unsafe and unprofessional altitude changes in the close vicinity of an F/A-18E.”
“The dangerous maneuver by the QOM-1 in the known vicinity of fixed wing flight operations and at coincident altitude with operating aircraft created a collision hazard and is not in keeping with international maritime customs and laws,” the statement said.
The Navy said this was the thirteenth such “interaction between US and Iranian maritime forces in 2017.”
Pentagon spokesman US Navy Capt. Jeff Davis previously told reporters that there had been 35 incidents of such behavior by Iranian vessels in 2016.
This is not the first time the US Navy has accused Iranian drones of operating unprofessionally while in close proximity to US ships….
Paul N Silas says
Iran is a puppet state of Mad Vlad Putin’s FSB. Russia supports them to counter Saudi Arabia. It’s like three slimy snakes trying to eat each other.
Make that 4, I forgot our own swamp creatures in Washington.
God help us all.
gravenimage says
Paul, it is true that Putin is cozying up to the repulsive Islamic Republic of Iran, but they are not a puppet state of Russia. If they were, they would probably be somewhat less horrifying than they are. What they practice is pure Islam.
IQ al Rassooli says
The Iranians are testing the outer defenses of the carrier battle group and the uttely STUPID Americans are reacting with political protests
No drone shoud be able to come so close as to endanger the safety of US pilots and aircraft worth tens of million of dollars
The American forces shoud use any object coming as near as two miles from any US ship for target practice without the need of a single warning because the Iranians KNOW what they are doing
Throughout their history, Muslims respect only one thing: FORCE
I had hoped that under Trump, the rules of engagement would change. Tragically this does not seem to be the case
Any US commander who will allow such incursions without immediate and forceful reaction should be removed from office
One single drone properly armed, can cause catastrophic destruction on any US ship especially a carrier
IQ al Ibn Q Rassooli
Kafir & Proud!
gravenimage says
Spot on, IQ.
Mike Blackford says
Wait a minute. Just exactly what do you think we’d be doing if it were their ships off our coast? Send them a tug boat load of Twinkies? Sounds to me like the shenanigans that went on before the Gulf of Tonkin deal. If you want a fight, go for it instead of this CIA type action.
gravenimage says
Poor, poor Mohammedans–surely, this was just defensive against the bad ol’ Americans. sarc/off
Thomas Frost says
@IQ. I too had hoped that the rules of engagement would be changed when Trump became our president. Trump should bring back the military leaders that Obama purged from the military. I agree with everything you say.
Westman says
Qom is the name of the Iranian seminary city where new clerics are minted. Can anyone find a picture or a reference to a QOM-1 drone being developed or in production anywhere on the WEB?? WIKI? Jane’s Defense Weekly?
Only in accounts of this incident have I been able to find a drone named QOM-1. I’m not questioning that there was an incident; it just seems odd, in an incident of this magnitude, to reference something that doesn’t seem to exist.
gravenimage says
All the references I could find also referred to this incident, Westman. Might it be new?
Westman says
I don’t know, graven. It seems to be a made up generic designation for a name that was never replaced later with the proper name. It puts an element of distrust into the account.
gravenimage says
Could be, Westman–but I really doubt that CNN is making up false stories to make Iran look bad.
Lucia Bartoli says
U S has to grow a big pair and shoot this sh** out of the sky — manned or unmanned
If manned give ONE warning then kablooie to the enemy.
Dan says
Amen!
gravenimage says
Especially given its being unmanned. Why not blow it out of the sky?
Andy says
California bakers refuse to make pro-Trump birthday cake for a little boy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcYxE3JIxJY
gravenimage says
This is what leftists consider “brave” these days…
paul says
the bakers who refused a gay wedding cake got 100,000 plus. He should sue
paul says
$100,000 fine I mean
mortimer says
Boycott them. They are very stupid.
TassieR says
As far as they are most nonchalantly permitted to be that aggressive again and again, it seems to me that it’s not the Left who are very stupid…
jack cohen says
if someone blocks your way go through him
learn from thatcher
Bob says
Jack – if by Thatcher you mean ‘Maggie’, the UK certainly needs her now!
gravenimage says
Yes–I *wish* Britain had a Thatcher now!
Thomas Frost says
@gravenimage. I totally agree.
gravenimage says
Iranian drone forces US jet to take evasive action, US officials call encounter “unprofessional”
………………………..
“Unprofessional”–really, this is provocative. If Iran can get away with this–and they have–how much further can they push things? They knew that they could get away with just about anything with Obama–this is a test for Trump.
mortimer says
Before the US can attack Iran, the surrounding countries will have to agree to it.
gravenimage says
Are you saying that we cannot defend against Islam until Mohammedans agree?
Even given their being rival sects, I don’t think this is very likely.
underbed cat says
North Korea and Iran…..hopefully not China but maybe is a dangerous and loose combination of enemies. Putin I hope has sense and is creating I think positive change in Russian… and is not a belligerent as the old Soviets, not since the Cuban Crisis.
But Iran, the middle east and North Korea.this is a nightmare..I just hope Russian didn’t sell anything to either one. Hope to see the morning and years to come. Mortimer the surrounding countries of Iran may all have the same goals where life of the infidels…and humanity has little meaning….Good Nite.
TassieR says
Since the Cuban crisis there were Afganistan, Czechoslovakia, Georgia, Ukraine (to name a few), while Putin is exactly from the same “old Soviet” office as all the top actors of Cuban crisis. The scum just can’t exist without being belligerent, inventing newer and newer enemies – and both North Korea and Iran are quite experienced Russian partners in the process…
gravenimage says
underbed cat, Putin has been enabling a nuclear Iran.
James Stamulis says
Shoot the bastards out of the air and the same goes for their speed boats as well! As a Navy vet i am ashamed of what our navy has become under Obama.
David says
Back in the day when the US was actually feared that drone would have been turned into tiny particles. Now we need to have dialogue and give the impression of outright cowardice.
Now we hear there have been several encounters this year alone??
Someone needs to grow a pair and send a clear decisive message.
Without dialogue the next drone that comes within eyesight of any US aircraft, naval ship etc. will be targeted and eradicated.
No more evasive action. Good grief.
Thomas Frost says
Sad, but true. The time has come and gone when our Navy should have destroyed the Iranian speed boats when they harassed our navy fleet. The drone mentioned in the article should have been destroyed without warning.
paul says
so jam it, and let it go in the ocean
Frank Verderber says
Events like this carrier incident, demonstrate the command officers are not following US Naval Military protocols. What they are following are the Counter Insurgency policies, written by the British and the Australians. The name of the world political game is Balance of Power. Remember, it was the grand globalist himself, Henry Kissinger who first sold the idea to Nixon – which is; no western country is an island – we are all in the Commonwealth Nations together. We act with consensus.” You are going to say the USA isn’t part of the Commonwealth Nations. That is true, but on the Commonwealth site, the USA is considered a non-official member! The mandate and origin for Balance of Power came from non other than most celebrated of British PM’s, Winston Churchill. Why so much aggrandizement for a man named after a cigarette – I don’t know. But among his best accomplishments was totally loosing the British Fleet in the Dardanelles – WWI. He reclaimed fame after replacing Chamberlain, who gave $6,000,000 in Czechoslovakian gold to Hitler as a peace offering, and told Hitler he could invade Poland and Austria, as long as Britain got 50% of the world trade pie. You see Balance of Power strips the US of Power and gives it Socialist countries – starting with Britain – who have not only capitulated to Muslims, but have rebelled against their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We need to retire all the effeminate staff officers and replace them with guns and Bible Christians!