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.
A-10 Thunderbolt II attack planes in the Middle East are flying with fresh modifications as the Air Force looks to make the plane more versatile amid America’s ongoing blockade of Iranian ports and a tenuous ceasefire in the U.S. air war against Iran.