By Staff, Agencies

The Islamic Revolution Guards [IRG] confirmed that its air defense forces have intercepted and shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper long-endurance drone over the Strait of Hormuz.

The IRG Public Relations Department, in a statement issued on Tuesday, said the unmanned aircraft was downed over the skies of the strategic waterway by the IRG Aerospace Force’s advanced, new air defense system, which is operating under the country’s integrated air defense network.

The downing marks the latest in a series of similar interceptions over the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks. Less than a month ago, the Iranian military announced the interception and destruction of a US MQ-1 Predator drone and an advanced Orbiter reconnaissance drone over the same waterway.

The IRG said in a statement on September 21 that the drone was shot down by the IRG Aerospace Force’s sophisticated new air defense system, which operates within the nation’s integrated air defense network.

It described the MQ-1 as a sophisticated drone that had logged 20,000 flight hours in Afghanistan and was infamously referred to as the “Butcher of Kandahar.”

It said the MQ-1 was retired from the combat fleets of the US Navy and Air Force several years ago, having been replaced by the MQ-9 Reaper.

“The US has been forced to revert to using the older MQ-1 after losing a significant number of its MQ-9 drones during the war against Iran,” the statement added.

In a separate announcement, the Iranian Army reported that an advanced Orbiter reconnaissance drone was successfully targeted and destroyed by indigenous air defense systems managed by the Army’s Air Defense Force.

The Army noted that the incident took place in the southeastern region of the country, over the Strait of Hormuz, which is under the country’s integrated air defense network.