Iran claims it captured two US reconnaissance drones — IRGC

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has reported capturing a US MQM-170 reconnaissance drone using electronic warfare and destroying another MQ-1 unmanned aerial vehicle over the Strait of Hormuz.

TodayPress TV reports, citing the Mehr news agency, that the incidents were recorded in the Persian Gulf region, according to Iranian sources.

According to the IRGC statement, the MQM-170 drone was captured during an electronic warfare operation west of the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian military officials claim they managed to bring the aircraft down almost completely intact.

The Corps said the drone had been conducting a reconnaissance mission to gather information about Iranian air defence systems deployed along the Persian Gulf coast and in the Strait of Hormuz area.

IRGC Navy specialists reportedly examined data extracted from the aircraft and determined that it had taken off from the coast of a country in the southern Persian Gulf. However, Iranian officials did not identify the country.

Reports also emerged that a US MQ-1 drone had been intercepted and destroyed in the skies over the eastern part of the Strait of Hormuz. According to the IRGC, the aircraft was shot down using a new, state-of-the-art air defence system belonging to the Corps’ Aerospace Force.

Iranian military officials described the incident as the 14th case of a US unmanned aerial vehicle being destroyed.

Aysel Matlab