US To Use Drones In Chris Dorner Manhunt

from zerohedge.com: We were hoping to evade coverage of the latest mass distraction du jour, that of the former LAPD officer Chris Dorner who recently went rogue following a three man murder spree and who has vowed to kill again as per his 6,000 word manifesto, but the US government had made it impossible following confirmation that the search for Dorner is now the first official drone-hunt in US history.

The Express reports:

Yesterday, as a task force of 125 officers, some riding Snowcats in the rugged terrain, continued their search, it was revealed that Dorner has become the first human target for remotely-controlled airborne drones on US soil.

A senior police source said: “The thermal imaging cameras the drones use may be our only hope of finding him. On the ground, it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
 
Asked directly if drones have already been deployed, Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz, who is jointly leading the task force, said: “We are using all the tools at our disposal.”
 
The use of drones was later confirmed by Customs and Border Patrol spokesman Ralph DeSio, who revealed agents have been prepared for Dorner to make a dash for the Mexican border since his rampage began.
 
He said: “This agency has been at the forefront of domestic use of drones by law enforcement. That’s all I can say at the moment.”

And once Dorner is found by remote-control, it will be again up to drones to secure his "elimination." If for no other reason than to perform a ground test of just how the recently enacted drone-facilitated extermination of US citizens sits with various instances of the US judicial system.

Iran Reports Capture Of Another US Drone

Reuters news service reports, "Iran said on Tuesday it had captured a U.S. intelligence ScanEagle drone in its airspace over the Gulf in the last few days, but the United States said there was no evidence to support the assertion...The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said on its website that the drone had been flying over the Gulf in the last few days and was 'captured' when it strayed into Iranian airspace....The IRGC statement did not specify when or where the drone was found, nor whether it was shot down or crashed." ScanEagle, a relatively cheap surveillance drone, has been in operation since 2004. Iran asserts it's a second capture after downing of a CIA RQ-170 drone, last December, covered in a prior post here.

Drone Episode 4: Conclusion

Billing for conclusion of Drone series reads, "The thrilling conclusion of the YOMYOMF Network's sci-fi/action webseries "DR0NE", Directed by ROBERT GLICKERT and starring LANCE REDDICK ("FRINGE") and KENNETH CHOI ("CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER"). Captured by black ops soldiers, the situation looks dire for 237. Is there any hope of escaping and bringing Nissen (Lance Reddick) to justice?" reads You Tube caption. Nissen realizes 237 traced his location and lays in wait in another shoot-em-up episode--very entertaining!  In the final moments, 237 gets reprogrammed to wipe clean prime directives to insure unit follows orders. The final scene shows, however, reprogramming to be overridden, presumably, by upgrade from USB drive provided 237 in prior episode.  Hats off to Lance Reddick and Director Robert Glickert!  This viewer can only hope for a sequel!

Drone: Episode 3 Best Yet

Episode 3 of Drone online series, is perhaps, best yet!  Production values are a mix of gritty Mad Max world of survival with plenty of hard- ware and a cyber reality almost as riveting.  Episode is "shoot em' up" heaven!  In 2023, Drone unit 237 has already seen too much in war and subject to shutdown.  Nissen (Lance Reddick) leads black ops group to apprehend 237, but has eluded capture thus far with aid of programmer Jay (Kenneth Choi).  Jay and 237 are discovered in tunnel during an on-the-run repair and upgrade session, then, all hell breaks loose!  You'll have to watch to see what happens in tunnel showdown. Special effects are top of the line!  Hats off to a fine effort and can't wait for next Drone snippet!  You can catch previous episodes at YOMYOMF.

Drone: Second Installment

Second installment of Drone is ready for your viewing pleasure! Viewpoint of autonomous Unit 237's programmer Jay (Kenneth Choi) plays in current release. Jay finds himself under suspicion from his boss Nissen (Lance Reddick) as he works to help Unit 237 escape from team of black ops soldiers. Second segment is juxtaposed to first six minutes that shows action from 237's point of view. It's an installment rather than complete episode, but still entertaining - if only briefly. The present writer wonders whether "prime directives" are just more cons to allay human fears? No, machines would never harm human beings! You might want to duck and cover, however, when drones are spotted overhead at outdoor wedding ceremonies - just to be on safe side! Please watch out for next installment to be out in near future at Drone website.

Drone: Episode 1 Of A New Web Series

You may consider deeper issues, whether "Drone" represents desensitization or predictive programming? Present writer will face human issues, but love of good sci-fi comes first. “By the early 21st century, the nature of warfare had changed. Unmanned drones patrolled the skies about the battleground. In the year 2023, humanoid drones were deployed to the front lines — a new breed of solider; stronger and faster than their human counterparts. Autonomous by design, they operate by a code — a code of war,” begins promising new series.  "New episodes of the show are scheduled to be released throughout September on Thursdays at 8 PM EST on the YouTube channel YOMYOMF (named and abbreviated after the popular culture blog You Offend Me, You Offend My Family)," informs article at Singularity Hub, "Visions Of The Future: DR0NE, A Webseries About Autonomous Humanoid Soldiers."

Texas Researchers Hack DHS Drone by Invitation at White Sands

A $1,000 worth of available electronics can enable anyone with the savvy to GPS spoof a Department of Homeland Security drone and take over command.  While no one suggests trying it, all the present writer can say is: "F-ing Cool!" Erik Seawright writes post at Z6Mag, "Drone Hacked With Spoofing on Approval of DHS by University of Texas Researchers," who were invited to White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, to see, if they could succeed in hacking a drone? "The DHS drone was successfully hacked by UT researchers using a spoofing method they detailed in an article titled, 'Straight Talk on Anti-Spoofing,' ... Using the techniques warned about in the article, the UT researchers were successful in taking over control of the Department of Homeland Security drone and proving the possibility of drone hacking," writes Seawright. The success of the UT researchers underscores clear vulnerability, it also tends to corroborate Iranian account last December of exploiting GPS link to capture a CIA drone. It's been reported previously, the GPS vulnerability to attack has been known for nearly a decade!

Drone Shot Down in South Carolina

An animal rights group prevented a planned, live pigeon shoot last weekend, but also lost their drone to an act of revenge. Activist group SHARK (SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness) dispatched a microkopter (pictured) to document illegal activity, but moments after the launch it was shot down. The incident took place on Broxton Bridge Plantation near Ehrhardt, SC. Is it the first documented domestic case of a drone downing?