An Iranian drone was shot down by US forces after it approached the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln while the ship was sailing in the Arabian Sea, according to information published by Reuters based on official US sources.
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The unmanned aerial vehicle, identified as a Shahed-139, is believed to have flown towards the ship in international waters, leading to an interception by an F-35C fighter jet operating from the aircraft carrier.
According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), the drone approached in a manner considered “aggressive” and did not change its course even after de-escalation measures taken by US forces. Given the continued approach, the F-35C was cleared to open fire and shot down the aircraft in an action described as legitimate self-defense to protect the ship and crew. No details have been released about the exact distance between the drone and the aircraft carrier at the time of the interception, nor about the weapon used.
The USS Abraham Lincoln, a nuclear-powered Nimitz-class aircraft carrier with capacity for about 90 aircraft, had recently been moved from the Indo-Pacific region to the Middle East amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran. The ship operates in conjunction with Carrier Air Wing 9 and escorting destroyers, forming a strike group that CENTCOM says is in the region to strengthen security and stability. US aircraft carriers operating in the area are often monitored by Iranian drones and aircraft, but most of these encounters end without incident.
The incident occurred on the same day that Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vessels and another Iranian drone approached a U.S.-flagged merchant ship in the Strait of Hormuz, requiring the intervention of a U.S. destroyer for defensive escort. The shot down Shahed-139 is a long-endurance medium-altitude drone, similar in appearance to the MQ-1 Predator, and capable of carrying advanced sensors and possibly armament, although it has not been confirmed whether the one involved in the incident was armed or merely on a surveillance mission.
Bron: UK Defence Journal / The Aviationist | Photos: Wikimedia | This content was created using AI and reviewed by the editors
Iranian Shahed-139 was reportedly intercepted by the American F-35. pic.twitter.com/RUQx2GXVD7
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