Iranian Navy Claims Downing US MQ-1 Drone, Releases Video of Strike

Tehran: The Iranian navy says it has shot down a US MQ-1 drone near Kohestak, a coastal area in the southern province of Hormozgan, using a modern air defence system.

According to Iranian media, the navy said in a statement released on Friday that the US drone was targeted near Sirik, a coastal area east of the Strait of Hormuz, under the country’s integrated air defence network.

The air defence system successfully identified and tracked the drone, then destroyed it in the Kohestak area.

The navy said it would not show the slightest hesitation in defending the country’s territorial integrity, maritime borders and interests.

About the MQ-1 drone

The MQ-1 Predator is an unmanned aircraft built by the US company General Atomics, capable of flying at medium altitude and remaining airborne for long periods. The US Air Force has mainly used it for combat operations and surveillance.

In 2018, the US Air Force retired its fleet of MQ-1 Predators and began using the more advanced MQ-9 Reaper drones in their place.

Iranian media claim that during the war waged by the United States and Israel against Iran, Iranian armed forces also inflicted heavy damage on US MQ-9 drones. Following this, Washington reportedly resumed using MQ-1 drones for aerial surveillance and reconnaissance operations.

Earlier last Friday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also claimed it had shot down another US MQ-1 drone over Qeshm island. It described this as the 16th MQ-1 destroyed since the start of the war.