Satellite Images Reveal the Birth of a Drone Base | NYT - Visual Investigations

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Dust storms, scorching temperatures and lengthy delivery times have put the Pentagon’s new drone base in the Sahara in Niger more than a year behind schedule and $22 million over its original budget. Here is what images from space revealed about the construction process that started in 2016.

[@fortniteanchillicanaffordn621]

That's the look of freedom right there!!! Respects from nz

[@f8ofk8]

I wonder if dust storms will play havoc with electronic systems, like drone nav.

[@rkan2]

F8oK8 Turbine engines will work fine and so will the plane, which can climb above the bulk of the storm.

[@josiesarered]

they are designed to withhold most types of storms

[@shadabansari4680]

So stunning 😯😯😯

[@brenryan1]

What's with the creepy horror movie music?

[@KoshyGeorge]

Cool

[@RoastCDuck]

Suspicious

[@verioffkin]

And ?

[@tube3365]

Wtf is U.S. doing there?

[@reader88888888]

Wasting taxpayer funds$ As per usual, of course!!!

defend & controll their empire!

[@slovokia]

Monitoring and killing jihadis basically.

[@spreadmusicacrosstheblock]

Oil

[@DursunX]

their usual M.O War by Proxy

[@psychedforlife7176]

Sounds like a scam to me.

[@YABEEful]

This should not be in public domain.... although being a DOD video... 2:11

[@slovokia]

Coming to a jihad near you.

Must be there are natural resources that the Top .01% want to steal.

[@kissmybuttID]

Question: Why are we showing this to EVERYBODY? Do we really want the enemy (whoever that may be- foreign or domestic) knowing where we are and what we’re doing?

[@derickbarrogo4481]

kissmybuttID you know how journalism works right?Coz they knkw they are safe in land they post this to have more Contents for their news.

[@matthewb.7172]

FYI: anyone in the world can look this up in five seconds on Google Earth.

[@matthewb.7172]

Most of our bases, even the supposedly secret bases, are well known. Leaked fitness tracker data even showed their daily routines and the jogs they take around the base. Terrible opsec is at fault, not journalists.

[@matthewb.7172]

Our bases aren't attacked very often, especially by state actors, because, ya know, that would mean the world's most advanced war power bringing down the hammer. What concerns me far more is cyber attacks that damage us, but can't be retaliated against bc we don't know who did them.

[@luigi2496]

Pretty sure Russia or China has been onto this before any of us knew