Iran recently sent a drone over Israeli, where it was tracked and shot down by a helicopter.
The drone may have been a result of Iran’s backward’s engineering of a US drone from a few years ago, and I’m not sure of the state of the US drone when they got it.
I’m interested in what they can do/learn with the wreckage.
Plus I would think the Israeli’s allowed the drone some element of progress to monitor its behavior. Does that make sense–to test out Israel’s own systems and see how the drone responds to lock on? Does a drone have anti-radar devices?
One key aspect is how it communicates and how it is controlled.
You figure out the frequencies it’s using, the communication method, maybe crack the encryption, etc. and you can save shooting it down. Just take it over and land it yourself.
Or if you want real sophistication, send back false data indicating that there is nothing interesting to report on in the area and such.
How well it was replicated is of interest.
Could Iran duplicate the electronics and optical capabilities of the original?
For data transmission - was encryption used?
Was it weaponized to carry ordnance (original was reconnaissance)?
What engine was used (local or market purchase)?
Did it have any stealth characteristics? The original RQ-170 was not leading edge stealth.
What material were used in construction (how advanced - metal alloys and / or composite materials)?
All the above modified by how much survived the shoot-down.