Secret drone technology barred by political conditions

03/22/12: Secrecy News reports that a certain technology that could extend the mission duration and capabilities of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) was favorably assessed last year by scientists at Sandia National Laboratories and Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation.  But they concluded regretfully that “current political conditions will not allow use of the results.” The assessment was carried out to explore the feasibility of next generation UAVs.  The objective was “to increase UAV sortie duration from days to months while increasing available electrical power at least two-fold,” according to a June 2011 Sandia project summary.