According to a Washington Post report, Air Force officials said last week that the move to encrypt video feeds from MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted vehicles will take until at least 2014. An earlier Wall Street Journal report sparked the ongoing debate over the implications for current operations, but the Post noted, too, that Adm. Mike Mullen, Joint Chiefs Chairman, said Friday that there are no reports of operational damage from the vulnerability. The insurgents have been able to see what the RPVs see, but they have not gained control of the vehicles.
U.S. Northern Command and multiple research organizations just wrapped up a joint, three-year experiment to test new radar technology that could enable the Northern Warning System to detect incoming threats at longer ranges across Alaska and northern Canada.