Military Drone Crashes in Man’s Backyard

If you’ve been following the advanced weapons of war being developed by the agency DARPA, then you probably understand the importance of keeping up with recent developments in military tech.

Last week a military drone from Fort Carson Army base crashed in a man’s backyard. The RQ-11 Raven drone landed in Ronald Fisk’s yard near downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Fisk claimed that “It was like a remote-control airplane with a 3-foot wingspan…There were lights flashing on it and a big camera on the front.”

“It looked very expensive and I couldn’t figure out who owned it,” he said. “So I wrote my telephone number on a piece of paper because the camera was moving and held it in front of the camera thinking someone would call me if they wanted it back.”

Officers came and retrieved the drone, and Fort Carson took responsibility.

According to local news site KRDO:

In a written statement, Fort Carson officials told KRDO NewsChannel 13 that the drone was flying in support of increased security measures on Fort Carson when the operator lost communication with it. The drone did not cause any damage or injuries and was flying in compliance with all FAA regulations, according to Fort Carson.

What is the significance of this? It’s a minor invasion into a person’s privacy rights, but it illustrates something important: the military is flying surveillance drones over populated areas while claiming these encroachments are accidental. With leak after leak showing the US government’s willingness to undermine our civil liberties and privacy rights, it’s hard to believe that surveillance drones flying over neighborhoods are simply accidents.

But rest assured, according to local news reports,

Raven crashes occur on every flight. The plane is designed to stall out at low altitude and fall where soldiers can recover it.

Basically they are engaged in an operation where they do endurance tests on drones then let them fall and get recovered. The drone just went out of the designated area, we’re not supposed to question any of this story, and local media outlets are perfectly content with that.

However, failing to recognize the potential for abuse of military power in the US would be a failure that is detrimental to the future of life in America. Whether military force is abused in the Middle East or domestically, the consequences are going to come — and we’re the ones who will have to deal with these surveillance drones patrolling our neighborhoods if actions to stem their use are not taken soon. It’s been projected that 30,000 drones will be flying in American skies by the year 2020, and although they are currently only used for surveillance by the government, documents show that the DHS was considering arming domestic drones with “non-lethal” weapons as far back as 2010.

Please share this with anyone who would find it significant.

Cassius Methyl writes for TheAntiMedia.org,where this article first appeared. Tune in! The Anti-Media radio show airs Monday through Friday @ 11pm Eastern/8pm Pacific. Help us fix our typos: [email protected].