Iran claims downing of MQ-9 drones in major air defence operation

Iran has claimed that its air defence forces shot down three MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicles.

A statement by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said two of the drones were intercepted by the Aerospace Force of the Guards, while the third was destroyed by the Army’s air defence units operating under the integrated air defence network of the Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defence Base.

In its statement, the IRGC asserted that the drones were eliminated within less than 20 minutes, describing the operation as one that caused “confusion and chaos” for the opposing side.

“The destruction of these drones in less than 20 minutes caused confusion and chaos for the enemy, and due to its inability to detect the positions of the air defence missile systems, it launched strikes on several locations on Qeshm Island and in Jask,” the statement said.

The IRGC further claimed that the destruction of the three MQ-9 drones increased the official number of enemy UAVs downed by Iranian forces.

“With the destruction of these three American UAVs, the official number of enemy drones shot down has reached approximately 35 units, while according to my personal calculations, the figure stands at 69,” the statement added.

By Vafa Guliyeva