Iran says it shot down US MQ-9 Reaper drone

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it has shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over Hormozgan province using a previously undisclosed air defence system called Arash-e Kamangir.

According to Iranian claims, the interception took place near Qeshm Island at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important waterways, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media. 

If confirmed, the incident would represent the first reported combat use of the Arash-e Kamangir, which Iran has been developing as part of efforts to deploy more mobile and difficult-to-detect air defence systems.

Iranian state media has described Arash-e Kamangir as a mobile and relatively low-cost interceptor equipped with capabilities designed to detect stealth targets. Its reported design reflects Tehran’s broader effort to develop air defence systems that can be moved rapidly and deployed without the cost of larger conventional platforms.

The MQ-9 Reaper is a US surveillance and strike drone widely used for intelligence, reconnaissance and military operations. Each aircraft is valued at roughly $30 million.

By Sabina Mammadli