Originally published at: Big military drone washed up on Florida beach | Boing Boing
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I wonder what maritime salvage law has to say about this. EXPERTS, ASSEMBLE!
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“Wait… if the drone survived, what did we shoot down?”
“O_O”
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I was wondering about that as well - how is it so intact?
The options seem to be: EMP or Laser. Either way, would be interesting to get a close up look at any visible damage.
Every now and then something happens?
I don’t I know it Brother.
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“Gosh darnit, I keep hoping for a bale of primo weed to wash up, and this is what I get??!!”
Make brownies, not war.
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If you can hang onto it you can keep it. Good luck.
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AFAIK flotsam and jetsam are up for grabs. I know for sure my degenerate friends and myself would have at least thought really hard about how to get into one of our garages.
When hurricane Sandy washed a “dock” from the somewhere north of rhinebeck on the Hudson my fiends found it, towed it to their property along the banks and became the proud new owners of a fancy dock for their bass boat. LOL
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In my brief and non-exhaustive investigation of salvage law, it seemed like the situation the drone was in didn’t fit into the rather narrow definitions of either flotsam or jetsam, so I wasn’t sure what to make of it.
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I’m not an expert obviously. But from my own cursory search it seems that one could salvage it because it was clearly derelict. Since it’s formerly government property you may not be able to keep it depending on how they felt about the technology in the “vessel”, but you would be due a “reward” or compensation for salvaging it if you weren’t allowed to keep it. Professional salvage companies would be due a larger reward than someone who just found it by chance. I know that for “treasure” it matters also whether or not your in local or international waters.
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Well, ok. I was going to credit Florida Man, but then I realized there’s no way he would do this without posing next to the kill, probably naked, big shit-eating grin, brandishing a Wrist Rocket.
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These target drones tow a target and gunners are supposed to aim at the target and not the drone.
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RIGHT?!
green grouper FTW!
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It probably wasnt shot down at all. The drones are maneuverable and can be used to simulate enemy aircraft. It may not have been intended to have been shot down at all.
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The drone is land-launched using a rocket assisted takeoff and launched from a rail system, and recovered on land or sea using a parachute system. After assessment and refurbishment, the drone is placed back into service.
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On 19 March 2021, a BQM-167 washed ashore in Boynton Beach, Florida after a weapon systems evaluation.
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My understanding is that flotsam (material left floating when a ship sinks) still belongs to the ship owner, while jetsam (materially intentionally jettisoned to lighten a ship’s load) is up for grabs.
There some odd detailed exceptions to that - spacecraft or spacecraft parts belong to the country they were launched from (NOT the company that launched them), no matter how they got there.
Laws regarding salvage of military equipment seem to vary by jurisdiction. I’m not familiar with US law on that point.
(Note that IANAL, and legal advice found on the Internet is usually worth what you pay for it.)
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