The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said in a statement issued on Monday morning that another MQ-1 drone belonging to the “terrorist US military” has been intercepted and destroyed moments earlier over the Strait of Hormuz.
The drone was brought down by the IRGC Aerospace Force’s advanced new air defense system, operating under the country’s integrated air defense network, the statement said.
The IRGC described the MQ-1 as an advanced drone that had logged 20,000 hours of flight over Afghanistan and had become known as the “Butcher of Kandahar.”
The statement said the MQ-1 had been removed from the US Navy and Air Force’s combat fleets several years ago and replaced by the MQ-9. It added that the US has been forced to return to using the MQ-1 following the destruction of a large number of its MQ-9 drones.
In a separate statement, the Iranian Army said that at 6:30 pm local time on Sunday, an advanced Orbiter reconnaissance drone was hit and destroyed by indigenous air defense systems operated by the Army’s Air Defense Force.
The Army said the incident occurred in the southeastern part of the country, over the Strait of Hormuz, under the country’s integrated air defense network.