Ordinarily that would be true, but in this case the drone wasn't far over the border. They should have taken the opportunity -- in this case -- to obliterate it. We spend 100's of millions developing prototype craft like this and we don't take the opportunity to safeguard the technology for a little while longer? Now it will be cheaply reverse-engineered and be used against us.
I worked on the COBRA JUDY replacement. COBRA JUDY is a ballistic missile intelligence ship. The new COBRA JUDY had a much more stringent dynamic range requirement for its S-Band radar. The legacy CJ would sail unescorted off the coast of the Soviet Union and collect data unmolested.
The new ship was designed to work off the coast of [insert less predicable country here] and the concept of operation called for an Aegis cruiser to be stationed five kilometers in front CJR, between the ship and shore. CJ and CJR are tied for having the most powerful S-Band radar in the world. It had to have enough dynamic range to operate with a Aegis ship on the surface (Aegis one megawatt S-Band is no slouch, either) between it and the targets.
Maybe “the concept of operation” for these drones near Iran and Nork should include an escorting shooter.