I thought that its deployment to Afghanistan was a budget ploy, after all, why use a stealthy drone, the RQ-170, against an opponent who has no radar (the Taliban), but I was wrong.

It turns out that they were using it to spy on Iran, and Tehran, does have an integrated air defense network.

And now the us sources are privately admitting that they flew it over Iran, and that the Iranians did get the drone.

Of interest, to my not particularly schooled eye, I think that I realize what the fairing on the top of the wing are; they are to accommodate the landing gear.

BTW, here’s a rundown on what secrets might be compromised, and it’s a pretty big deal.