It is cause for alarm anytime sophisticated U.S. military technology falls into the hands of hostile nations. But that has happened to an unmanned American military surveillance aircraft that is now in the possession of Iran.
U.S. officials say the drone aircraft, the RQ-170 Sentinel, malfunctioned, forcing it out of the sky. Iran claims, by contrast, that it used an "electronic ambush" to bring down the aircraft in Iran without damaging it.
Whatever downed the drone, however, the most important thing is that it is now in Iranian hands. Not surprisingly, Iran has been showing off the drone on state-run television - and mocking the Obama administration's request that it return the aircraft. Iran says it is rapidly unlocking the technological and surveillance capabilities of the highly classified aircraft, developed by Lockheed Martin, and that it will be able to reproduce the drone.
It may or may not be true that Iran can do that. But a greater concern is that the RQ-170's secrets may be provided to more technologically advanced Russia and Communist China, giving them insight into U.S. defensive capabilities.
One specific worry is that the drone's paint, which can deflect radar, could be reproduced by Iran or another country. Another is that the aircraft's use of optical equipment to identify terrorism suspects - even from miles up in the sky - could be put to harmful use by foreign powers to target Americans or U.S. interests.
Of course, with the drone already in Iranian hands, voicing those concerns may be a bit like crying over spilled milk. But the United States must make every effort to keep sophisticated military technology away from unpredictable, violent, radical Muslim regimes such as the one that rules Iran.