Footage shows moment Iran downs US MQ-9 Reaper drone east of Strait of Hormuz
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- The IRGC simultaneously claimed that its electronic warfare units infiltrated the navigation systems of two US MQM-170 reconnaissance drones
- The confrontations occurred in proximity to Qeshm Island and the Strait of Hormuz
Footage shows the moment Iranian air defense forces intercepted and destroyed a US military drone over the skies east of the Strait of Hormuz, according to video and official statements released by Iranian state media on Monday.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated that its aerospace forces brought down the aircraft, identified as an advanced MQ-9 Reaper, using modern surface-to-air defense systems operating under the country’s integrated air defense network. Iranian military media labeled the downed aircraft as the 55th MQ-9 Reaper intercepted during recent clashes.
Read more: IRGC says it downed US MQ-9 drone, seized control of two others near Qeshm Island
Alongside the strike footage, the IRGC said in a statement that its electronic warfare specialists had seized command of two US MQM-170 reconnaissance drones operating south of Qeshm Island.
The force claimed it infiltrated the drones' command, control, and navigation links, forcing both airframes down under Iranian custody.
Monday's claims follow previous reports of friction near Qeshm Island. On Oct. 30, Iranian outlets reported that the IRGC had taken control of another MQM-170 drone via electronic countermeasures, while US Central Command rejected separate Iranian assertions of captured American assets that same day.
The IRGC had previously claimed that it downed 68 US drones since the outbreak of hostilities, including 54 MQ-9 Reapers and 14 MQ-1 aircraft, totals that remain unverified by independent sources.
