Helicopter Crash in Afghanistan

The weekend crash killed 38 troops, including 30 Americans.

How Jammers Helped Counter the Iraqi Insurgency

The US military came up with a better technology to thwart remote-controlled bombs in Iraq.

Why nations want drones

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Another Wikileaks revelation: other nations keep asking the US for drone aircraft. Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with Noah Shachtman of Wired Magazine about why those nations want drones, and what the proliferation of drone technology means for the future. Download MP3

• Wired’s Dangerroom on twitter

Collecting data in the war zone

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American soldiers in Iraq have collected fingerprints, iris scans, and DNA from ordinary people and suspected insurgents. The effort has helped amass one of the world’s most comprehensive databases of biometric information collected during a war. Now, the collection of so much personal information has raised questions about how data should be used. Clark Boyd reports. Download MP3

• Video: Watch the US military video on collecting biometric information
• The World’s Technology podcast
• Noah Shachtman at Wired’s Dangerroom

Hacking into American drone aircraft

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Insurgents in Iraq have hacked into live video feeds from unmanned American drone aircraft, US media reports say. Shia fighters are said to have used off-the-shelf software programs to capture the footage. The hacking was possible because the remotely flown planes have an unprotected communications link. Alex Gallafent reports. Download MP3

• BBC coverage
• Wired Magazine’s Noah Shachtman on the ‘drone war’ in Central Asia
• Tech Podcast: Listen to a longer version of the Shachtman interview
• Marco Werman talked with Ahmed Rashid about drone attacks

The drone war

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At least three suspected militants have been killed in a US drone attack in north-western Pakistan, officials say. The area is a major sanctuary for al-Qaeda and Taliban militants. Pakistan has publicly criticized drone attacks, saying they fuel support for the militants. The US military does not routinely confirm drone attacks, but the US armed forces and CIA in Afghanistan are the only forces capable of deploying drones in the region, analysts say. Noah Shachtman of Wired magazine is just back from the region. Download MP3 (Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

• BBC coverage
• Wired.com: U.S. Military Joins CIA’s Drone War in Pakistan
• Podcast: Listen to a longer version of our interview with Noah Shachtman
• Marco Werman talked with Ahmed Rashid about drone attacks (Nov 5)
• Jeb Sharp on the controversial US drone strikes (Jun 18)

Tech Podcast 270: Drones in Afghanistan and Pakistan

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On this week’s podcast, we kick off with an extended version of an interview with Noah Shachtman of Wired.com. Noah’s just back from checking out the drones that are currently flying over Pakistan and Afghanistan, and he’s got a lot of interesting things to talk about. We’ll also take a trip into space to hear about a new NASA telescope, and about Sapporo’s “Space Barley” Beer.

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• Noah’s blog: Danger Room
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