Iran claims US MQ-9 Reaper shot down over Qeshm Island

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed that Iranian air defences shot down a US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper unmanned combat aerial vehicle over Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.

According to an IRGC, the incident occurred at 10:12 a.m. local time in the airspace over the island. The IRGC said the drone was downed by a new air defence system operated by its Aerospace Force as part of Iran’s integrated air defence network, the state-run IRNA news agency reports.

If confirmed, the incident would mark the 53rd MQ-9 Reaper reportedly shot down by Iranian forces since the start of the war.

The MQ-9 Reaper is a US-made unmanned combat aerial vehicle primarily used for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and precision strike missions.

By Vafa Guliyeva