Fars news agency says lightweight RQ11 Raven drones were brought down by Iranian air defense units in separate incidents in August 2011 and November 2012.
Haaretz
Iran has captured two miniature U.S.-made surveillance drones over the past 17 months, Iranian media reported on Wednesday.
Several drone incidents over the past year have highlighted tension in the Gulf as Iran and the United States flex their military capabilities in the vital oil exporting region in a standoff over Iran’s disputed nuclear program.
The lightweight RQ11 Raven drones were brought down by Iranian air defense units in separate incidents in August 2011 and November 2012, Rear Admiral Amir Rastegari told Fars news agency.
“Much of the data of these drones has been decoded by the Army’s jihad and research center,” he said, without elaborating.
Manufactured by AeroVironment, the RQ11 Raven has a wingspan of 1.36 meters (4.5 feet) and a range of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) and is used by the U.S. military for low-altitude surveillance.
Iran said on Dec. 4 that it had captured a U.S. intelligence ScanEagle drone in its air space over the Gulf in the previous few days, but the United States said there was no evidence to support the assertion.
The U.S. Navy said had it not lost any unmanned aircraft in the area. The four-foot (1.25 metre) ScanEagle surveillance drones built by Boeing Co are deployed in the region by the United States military and also by other countries.
In November, the United States said Iranian warplanes shot at a U.S drone flying in international air space. Iran said the aircraft had entered its air space to spy on Iranian oil platforms and said it would respond “decisively” to any incursions.
#1 by annebeck58 on January 28, 2013 - 9:23 pm
Haha.
Well, first of all, Iran has every right to take them down and look into the technology. I say, good for Iran. It’s their airspace, after all.
Now, as far as our Navy and other military are concerned; if these drones are (or were) not theirs, who’d they belong to? It’s possible these were given to Israhell, by US. I thought I read something not that long ago about IZ losing a drone to Iranians, so this could be an extension of that story.
Mostly, I am glad Iran has a drone-defense system. They should. They need to protect themselves from us as well as from Israhell. So, again; good for Iran.
#2 by isaac on January 29, 2013 - 12:07 am
the instigator of all these problems is Israhell, there is no doubt about it and every country in the world has the right to protect its air space.
#4 by Gavin on January 29, 2013 - 10:59 pm
Imagine if foreign nations were sending drones into US airspace. The US and the bastard nation of Israel are the most hypocritical countries on earth.
Israel did 9-11. Why have we not declared war on our enemy?
#5 by isaac on January 30, 2013 - 12:24 am
Gavin. The reason why is because our government is controlled by the same cabal of people who have provoked all these massacres.