Cuba returns to the US 'wrongly shipped' Hellfire missile

[Bad Dog]

Source: BBC

Cuba returned to the United States an inert Hellfire missile that had been wrongly shipped to Havana in June 2014.

The missile, which did not contain explosives, had been shipped to Spain for a Nato training exercise, the Wall Street Journal said.

It was then taken to Germany and eventually to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris for onward delivery to Florida.

It was instead loaded on to an Air France flight to Havana.

The incident could have led to a serious loss of military technology, officials told the Wall Street Journal.


The whole affair has been embarrassing for the Americans, who have had to ask the Cubans if they could have their highly sensitive missile back, says the BBC's Will Grant in Havana.


Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-35571837

[jakeXT]

1. Here it is, together with this bag containing screws and parts we ahem couldn't

put together ...

[joshcryer]

3. LOL

You're not wrong, they very likely dissected it, but this is still a nice diplomatic move, even though we basically know it's compromised now.

You have to wonder what will happen to the military contractors involved or even the military personnel, though. There needs to be serious accountability for this, I never heard of it until now.

[forest444]

5. Absolutely - and consider the date.

June 2014.

Sounds like someone in the MIC didn't want the rapprochement we've had with Cuba since then to happen. Probably one of Narco Rubio's friends.

[Mika]

6. It was an inert training mock-up. Not a real missile at all. No guts in it, just the outer shell.

Used to train the aircrews on mounting them to/in a plane. They don't use real ones for basic training.

Cuba has returned a dummy U.S. Hellfire missile that was mistakenly shipped there from Europe in 2014, American and Cuban officials said Saturday.
(...)
The weapon returned by Cuba was an inert training missile that was inadvertently sent to the island from Europe, where it was used in a NATO training exercise.
(...)
It had an incomplete guidance section and no operational seeker head, warhead, fusing system or rocket motor.

"The inert training missile has been returned with the cooperation of the Cuban government," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/cuba-returns-dummy-hellfire-missile-mistakenly-received-36917908

[tarheelsunc]

8. I wouldn't say "no guts at all"

The article mentions several things which were not present but it says nothing about the computer system / software. I'm assuming this inert missile had a fully functional computer system with software loaded, which would make it still extremely valuable.

[Mika]

9. Assume to your heart's content. Doesn't mean it's factual. eom

[MosheFeingold]

10. LOL

Yep.

"Sorry about the guidance system and sensors, Senior. They fell out in transit."

[Fearless]

2. Good to see honesty is still valued.

[whereisjustice]

4. ROTFL @ Air France. Sure, they returned it, after customs insp. in a box, like Ikea parts!

[rocktivity]

7. And it's taken more than eighteen months to get it back?

Here's hoping it really WAS a mistake...

Here's another missile mistake story the Brits picked up:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1754227


rocktivity