Iran is claiming that it has captured another of the United State's intelligence drones and has posted images of military personnel inspecting the vehicle. The images were taken in front a map of the Persian Gulf that was emblazoned with the words "We Shall Trample on the U.S."
The United States is denying Iran’s claims however and say that many countries operate that very same drone which is described as a ScanEagle, a small drone that weighs less than 45 pounds and a wingspan of less than ten feet. The ScanEagle is generally outfitted with a camera and is used for surveillance. The ScanEagle is a Boeing design.
The head of Irans Parliament Defense Committee told the associated Press that they had material evidence that the drone that was captured belonged to the U.S. He said, “The unmanned aircraft took off from a warship. The Americans will have no choice but to confirm that one of their drones is missing.” Iran also said that they would release more evidence supporting their claims soon.
Commander Jason Salata, the spokesman for the 5th Fleet says that all drones in the region are accounted for.
It very well could be that the drone could have been part of the CIA’s or even the National Security agency’s arsenal as they keep eyes on Iran as well. Several of the kingdom’s in the region also use the drone as part of their surveillance programs.
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This is the second U.S. spy drone that Iran has claimed to have captured. The first was a year ago. That drone was a RQ-170 Sentinel that Iran said that they brought down over the eastern part of their country. Caitlin Lee, a military aviation correspondent with IHS Jane offered information on the two drones. “The ScanEagle, compared to the RQ-170, the ScanEagle is, I don’t want to say less sophisticated, but it doesn’t have some of the same features. So the ScanEagle has been around for a while, it doesn’t have stealth characteristics and it’s a little bit more of a simple airframe,” she said.
Last month Iran fired on a drone that they said had violated their airspace, the drone returned to its point of origin unscathed however. The U.S. claimed that that drone never entered Iranian airspace and was fired on while in International airspace.