Major drone attack cripples Saudi oil production

Bitek

Lifer
Aug 2, 2001
10,676
5,238
136
A drone attack against a major Aramco refinery has cut SA output in half. Currently there is also a major fire raging at the refinery.

Yemeni rebels proxies for Iran are being blamed.

This leaves the US as the top exporter of oil in the world.

Wapo link
MBAG6NGXJYI6TCJEDW35VR4X7M.jpg


Obvious question will be what will Trump do. If this was a move by Iran, it comes as an obvious consequence of the broken nuke deal and a
chaotic natsec posture that has left us weak.
Bolton must be pulling his mustache out.
 

Jaskalas

Lifer
Jun 23, 2004
33,952
8,002
136
How much will we blame Iran for the actions of a proxy?
Will there be consequences / retaliation if any?

Unknown.
 

Fenixgoon

Lifer
Jun 30, 2003
32,080
10,880
136
A drone with weapons capabilities is rather sophisticated isn't it? Didn't think anyone else had fully integrated all those technologies into a fielded system (outside of the US obviously).
 
  • Haha
Reactions: KMFJD

Bitek

Lifer
Aug 2, 2001
10,676
5,238
136
How much will we blame Iran for the actions of a proxy?
Will there be consequences / retaliation if any?

Unknown.

Well Graham is calling for air strikes against oil refineries in Iran.

Great thing we have a crack NatSec team to carefully navigate is through another ME bombing campaign without spiraling into a larger war....
 

Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
62,365
14,681
136
A drone attack against a major Aramco refinery has cut SA output in half. Currently there is also a major fire raging at the refinery.

Yemeni rebels proxies for Iran are being blamed.

This leaves the US as the top exporter of oil in the world.

Wapo link
MBAG6NGXJYI6TCJEDW35VR4X7M.jpg


Obvious question will be what will Trump do. If this was a move by Iran, it comes as an obvious consequence of the broken nuke deal and a
chaotic natsec posture that has left us weak.
Bolton must be pulling his mustache out.

They just want the Saudis, Al Qaeda & Isis out of their country. There is no evidence at all linking these drones to Iran, either, no matter what Pompeo insinuates.
 

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
70,165
28,812
136
If anybody but a Bush had been President on 9/11, this would have been an American action on 9/12. Good for the Houthis for standing against the font of Islamic terrorism.
 

UglyCasanova

Lifer
Mar 25, 2001
19,275
1,361
126
What kind of drone are we talking about? I’m assuming this is more than something I can go buy at Best Buy?
 

feralkid

Lifer
Jan 28, 2002
16,606
4,699
136
They just want the Saudis, Al Qaeda & Isis out of their country. There is no evidence at all linking these drones to Iran, either, no matter what Pompeo insinuates.


"Amid all the calls for de-escalation, Iran has now launched an unprecedented attack on the world's energy supply. There is no evidence the attacks came from Yemen," Pompeo continued, providing no evidence that Iran was behind the attacks.

He's not really trying very hard, is he?
 

Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
62,365
14,681
136
What kind of drone are we talking about? I’m assuming this is more than something I can go buy at Best Buy?

I'm sure it is, probably a rather large RC airplane with some internal guidance & a cell phone camera link to guide it in at the end. Add a bit of plastic explosive & a contact detonator.
 
  • Like
Reactions: KMFJD

UglyCasanova

Lifer
Mar 25, 2001
19,275
1,361
126
No shit, Sherlock.


Just asking, there’s no reason to be like that.

What kind would it be? I don’t imagine Yemenese rebels have access to predator drones. It would seem like tracing the tech back should be fairly easy so that if it was Iran ultimately behind it that’ll be easy to determine. And if it is Iran, well, that’s the Saudi's problem. Not ours.
 

Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
62,365
14,681
136
"Amid all the calls for de-escalation, Iran has now launched an unprecedented attack on the world's energy supply. There is no evidence the attacks came from Yemen," Pompeo continued, providing no evidence that Iran was behind the attacks.

He's not really trying very hard, is he?

No evidence other than the Houthis claiming they did it. Must be fake news.
 

NostaSeronx

Diamond Member
Sep 18, 2011
3,705
1,231
136
Long range is Samad-3 and short range is Qasef-2K, both are for loitering munitions. As well as both are manufactured in Iran(re-branded for Yemen) with Chinese parts, apparently.
 

Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
62,365
14,681
136
Long range is Samad-3 and short range is Qasef-2K, both are for loitering munitions. As well as both are manufactured in Iran(re-branded for Yemen) with Chinese parts, apparently.

You have no evidence to support that claim. It's also perfectly obvious that we're arming the aggressor here, the Saudis.

 

Paratus

Lifer
Jun 4, 2004
17,102
14,440
146
What kind of drone are we talking about? I’m assuming this is more than something I can go buy at Best Buy?
I'm sure it is, probably a rather large RC airplane with some internal guidance & a cell phone camera link to guide it in at the end. Add a bit of plastic explosive & a contact detonator.

Well maybe not from Best Buy but at B&H Photo you can buy a hybrid gas electric multi rotor drone with 12mile / 20km range and 1.5 hour flight time for $80,000.

Walkera who makes it supposedly has a bigger brother that ups the flight time 2 hours and 72km each with a couple of Kg of payload.

As you said Jhhnn add some high explosive and you’ve got a pretty formidable weapon to use against something already prone to exploding like a refinery.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...500_20km_range_gas_electric_hybrid_drone.html

1561997159_1488199.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: ch33zw1z

Bitek

Lifer
Aug 2, 2001
10,676
5,238
136
They just want the Saudis, Al Qaeda & Isis out of their country. There is no evidence at all linking these drones to Iran, either, no matter what Pompeo insinuates.

The only facts I know about it at this point is whatever Pres. Sharpie or his administration says happened won't be believed as they are sycophants and serial liars.
 
  • Like
Reactions: trenchfoot

trenchfoot

Lifer
Aug 5, 2000
14,896
7,426
136
The only facts I know about it at this point is whatever Pres. Sharpie or his administration says happened won't be believed as they are sycophants and serial liars.


Agreed. It's amazing how blatantly obvious it is that Trump will lie every chance he gets yet for some odd reason so many folks still think his words have credibility, that he speaks the truth more often than not and that those sycophant stooges he hires are "just doing their jobs" by incredulously "clarifying" their boss' lies into lies that are somehow more believable.

If only the media would refrain from broadcasting Trump's incessant lies he'd have about zero air time to confuse and confound a public who still believe that because Trump is the president he should be given the benefit of the doubt to every single alarming WTF? thing that comes out of that sourpuss face of his.
 

K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
47,990
37,161
136
Since refineries and oil storage aren't exactly hardened targets I really doubt the level of sophistication was high here. Commercial drones and some explosives would certainly seem sufficient.
 

amenx

Diamond Member
Dec 17, 2004
4,094
2,363
136
Since refineries and oil storage aren't exactly hardened targets I really doubt the level of sophistication was high here. Commercial drones and some explosives would certainly seem sufficient.
Still, drones shouldnt get through. Many anti-drone systems developed over the years and should have prevented this from happening.


I guess that should be a wake up call not just for the Saudis, but for any country seeking to protect its vital economic facilities and infrastructure.
 

Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
62,365
14,681
136
Since refineries and oil storage aren't exactly hardened targets I really doubt the level of sophistication was high here. Commercial drones and some explosives would certainly seem sufficient.

Maybe. They'd need to be launched not too far from the target because they depend on line of sight communication. That's a long way over some truly forbidding desert from Houthi controlled Yemen. Hundreds of miles.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DarthKyrie

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
70,165
28,812
136
Maybe. They'd need to be launched not too far from the target because they depend on line of sight communication. That's a long way over some truly forbidding desert from Houthi controlled Yemen. Hundreds of miles.
Line of sight is only needed to change instructions. A drone programmed to fly to a specific GPS point, drop a bomb, and return to a specific GPS point doesn't require line of sight.
 

pcgeek11

Lifer
Jun 12, 2005
21,619
4,674
136
A question for all that don't think Iran had anything to do with this attack.

Who did it and who masterminded it and why?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Thebobo