Iran Announces Launch Of Its Unmanned Flying Saucer

I don't think its silly I mean they built an Asimov knock off so why not a MSSMP type uav.

My purpose in this world is knowledge and the dissemination of it, and it is I who is to restore the fruits of my labors to the entire world.
-Schwarzwald

lolol Iran fail.

1337!

"sometimes it takes a thousand notes to make one sound" -Buckethead

Wow... I mean... If they would stop killing all of their scientists for heresy, they might have some actual technology... and science... and intelligence...

Each human is born with free mind, imagination and free will. Why those who are completely confident of their own GOD feel the need to dominate the free will and imagination of others? Don't they trust their own GOD to take care of matters? It’s only GOD that gives life to a human and only GOD that has the authority to remove life from that human. Anyone else who removes life from a human does not trust GOD and takes things into his own hands. GOD created heaven, earth and everything about us. He does not need humans to go about and destroying things. Faith in GOD is to live life in peace with others and let GODS will be done.

I live in Iran.. we got used to watch such ridiculous toys introduced as "state of the art technology that just US and Israel had before" on national TV .. just God knows how much of oil dollars are spending on these childish projects.

Why does religion always make its way into popsci??

I mean like... this is a science forum what are u doing by making an account here and talking about something that has no relevance to the topic at hand

p.s. im not ripping on religion im just curious

"sometimes it takes a thousand notes to make one sound" -Buckethead

So I'm the only one to note the cute little hand-thingies holding the camera in the 2nd pic? The camera isn't secured and would never stay. And it's really silly having a little thumb to push the button then you have a jack right there for direct wiring.

Slunk - agreed. There is no reason to bring religion into this thread at all. It wasn't mentioned once in the article, and the idea that religion is motivating Iran's policies here, rather than international politics, is just dumb.

You are so correct. Religion does not have anything to do with Pop Sci, except with IRAN. And now you say why, how and huh? It is the single tool of which they use to dominate, control and abuse their own people. I am not against religion, but I am against how some single leaders use it to their own means.
Oh in IRAN, yes we have democracy(NOT); as long as you agree with the GOVERNEMENT and anything you do or say that is different is considered Anti-Religious and Anti-Government and you will be prosecuted to the full extent of the Government and Religious law. Oh and as we spread our good news of government and religion, we will OWN and ABUSE the MEDIA as well, exaggerate and lie too; including statements of new technology. …..
Ok, ok, now I am ranting... I will go sit and enjoy some milk and chocolate...

This picture of a flying saucer is so clear and real. (NOT) It just give me more and more confidence of the GOVERNMENT OWN MEDIA AND GOVERNEMENT OF IRAN. Why yes, I believe everything IRAN (NOT) saying about this knew technology. Its a great symbol to the world of how they are truthful aobut all other aspects of their technology and purposes ( PEACEFUL DEVELOPMENT OF NUCLEAR ENGERGY-NOT).

everything written in the daily mail is a lie. even true things, once in the daily mail become lies.

@Slunk - /bro hug. Buckethead is a legend!

I have a very silly and impish thought, what IF that picture is real? Just kidding...

"If God wanted us to actually make flying saucers the B movie would have never been permitted to exist" - QQ

@Calabros ...

Agreed ... A huge waste of resources.

We all know that such endeavors have far more to do with "self esteem" than to do with "practical strategic capability".

If Dr. Ahmadinejad (and friends) were to make a a much smaller investment, in THIS program, Iran could acheive the exact same results (better results) at a tiny fraction of the "traditional alternative".

youtube.com/watch?v=0tUfUX80Ohw

.

Iran is one of only 10 countries with a serious space program, On march 17 they launched their 4th space capsule, given all space activities must be approved by the international space agency.

Iran has always been at the forefront of science, and I am not saying the flying saucer is one of them. But, Iran is self sufficient in all areas of science. as an example with medicine not only Iran has all the medicine it needs but also exports it.

I am not surprised, at any current or future scientific achievements by Iranians.

I think it looks more like my basement lights turned upside down!

Screen quality looks like something from 1940's movies scanned (badly) and printed out.

do they really have to explain what GPS stands for?

also, I only see three propellers on the "quadrocopter"
even if you count the ones underneath, then there are six propellers, and it's still not a quadrocopter.

Funny, this looks just like the Draganflyer X6.
www.draganfly.com/uav-helicopter/draganflyer-x6/

No wonder the US wants to war with Iran, they got flying saucers and are willing to be truthful about it.

it'll be great should iran get to build a "flying pig" and fly it all the way to allah...bhwahahahahahahah

@djhavok20000 thats dropdead hilrious because you are EXACTLY right. The toy just has better tools to hold the camera. XD

Don't be too quick to rule this out..Google WEAV

Also Nostradamus predicted the "wave". This is the approximate time period. Perhaps this explains why they are cocky. They might have something.

It never ceases to amaze me when fledging governments use stock, open source images of items or technology and claim them as their own. Iran=FAIL.

So Ahmadinejad isn't a dwarf, he's an alien.

@QuantumQuantum yeah man he's so unique and way underrated!!1 \m/

"sometimes it takes a thousand notes to make one sound" -Buckethead

Could someone explain what the prefix "quad" means and pass it along to the PopSci staff?

Its pretty funny how the article lulz over Iran calling a copter a saucer and then they post a pic of a hexacopter, calling it a quadrocopter.

Or is this the intentional irony all the kids are clamoring about?

Yeah, that isn't an "old school Pentax" hanging from the "quad" copter. That's a Flir Systems Photon infrared camera with a 14.25 mm lens. Its essentially the same infrared core used in the BMW 7 series night vision system. And its very unlikely to be in the hands of the Iranians. Although there is a reduced frame rate camera that can be exported to places like China I doubt that even the reduced frame rate camera could/would be shipped to Iran.

Kid: *points at sky* OMG its a UFO!!
Dad: No its not, its just Iran.
Kid: Is that a planet?
Dad: It might might as well be on another one...

Kid: *points at sky* OMG its a UFO!!
Dad: No its not, its just Iran.
Kid: Is that a planet?
Dad: It might as well be on another one...

Seeing that the US will soon no longer have the ability to place astronauts in space, and that US-built nuclear reactors are having major meltdowns, and that our life expectancy is actually going down -- well, maybe we should be careful about who we make fun of for being technologically backward.

I'm sure we're more technologically advanced than Iran -- but is that the standard?

So then my question re the top photo must be this. If your aeronautics program is as advanced as you would have us believe, and you have created a disk configured craft that is suitable for modern surveillance application; why is your photo so crappy, and why doesn't it provide an unimpeachable frame of reference? I could make this exact saucer 'craft' with two ceiling lightcovers and a couple odds-n-ends out of my junk drawer, take it to a high promontory, throw it up in the air while someone else takes the shot. And my 'verified proof of concept' will get me a doctorate level posting to an Iranian university; correct? I could even have someone up higher and behind shoot a rifle past it, giving the appearance that it is not only weaponized, but extremely accurate as well.

Great. Even more probing...

The clarity of this flying saucer picture is as clear as the IRANIAN Governments own concern for its individual people.

IRAN: INVEST in Megapixel lens technology next. Did somebody staple the to do lost in reverse order?

I’m completely fail to understand why most of the articles in this reputable publication and commentators mocking this country/nation for its scientific achievements (whatever they are and on whatever scale they are)! Those satirical and derogatory remarks showing nothing but complete arrogance, nonsense and bias towards some (which is also understandable!).

I wonder what would happen when you no longer be entertaining the position you are at the moment – how others going to treat you? When next time making fun of someone do keep in mind that the future is not very far for us all:

China poised to overhaul US as biggest publisher of scientific papers - www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/mar/28/china-us-publisher-scientific-papers

@ sarn ; If your question is at least partly directed my way, then my answer is that if this immensely creative nation which is the product of the creativity and determination of all the nations on Earth were to all of a sudden clamp down on all free will and creativity; and then after a decade or so of straight oppression of our people come out with some stupid looking thing like this and claim it is one of the most sophisticated flight systems ever designed, while offering none of the science that created it; then we would be more than deserving of the harsh skepticism of the world community. I don't know if you've looked around on these types of sites much, but if you have you could not help but see that those of us that follow these developments are highly supportive of advances that we believe are real, and highly derisive of those that we believe are not. As you noted, China is both industrializing and becoming more educated at a phenomenal rate and their published discoveries reflect that. While I lament this nation's sorry state, I certainly do not begrudge China their enjoyment in the limelight of their discoveries. In this case though, there is no scientific paper. Probably because there was no science involved.

Funny thing. I saw one of Iran's fleets at the Home Depot yesterday...

The picture IS the one posted in the orginal story, but it is not the Iranian technology. I don't know the origin of the picture, but it has been around for some time. You can see it here at 0.22 on this Russian drama documentary, the trailer of which was uploaded to Youtube in August 2009,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-x2AjS900U&feature=player_embedded#!