An Iranian drone was shot down by U.S. forces after approaching the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln while the vessel was sailing in the Arabian Sea, according to information released by Reuters based on official U.S. sources.
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The unmanned aerial vehicle, identified as a Shahed-139, reportedly flew toward the ship in international waters, prompting an interception by an F-35C fighter jet operating directly from the aircraft carrier.
According to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the drone approached in what was considered an “aggressive” manner and did not change its course even after de-escalation measures were taken by U.S. forces. Given the continued approach, the F-35C was authorized to open fire and shot down the aircraft in an action described as legitimate self-defense to protect the ship and its crew. No details were disclosed regarding the exact distance between the drone and the aircraft carrier at the time of the shootdown, nor which weapon was used.
The USS Abraham Lincoln, a nuclear-powered Nimitz-class aircraft carrier with capacity for around 90 aircraft, had recently been redeployed from the Indo-Pacific to the Middle East amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran. The vessel operates alongside Carrier Air Wing 9 and escorting destroyers, forming a strike group that, according to CENTCOM, is in the region to reinforce security and stability. U.S. aircraft carriers operating in the area are often monitored by Iranian drones and aircraft, but most of these encounters end without incident.
The episode occurred on the same day that vessels from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps 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 downed Shahed-139 is a medium-altitude, long-endurance drone, similar in appearance to the MQ-1 Predator, and may be capable of carrying advanced sensors and possibly weapons, although there is no confirmation as to whether the aircraft involved in the incident was armed or was only on a surveillance mission.
Source: UK Defence Journal / The Aviationist | Photos: Wikimedia | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
Iranian Shahed-139 was reportedly intercepted by the American F-35. pic.twitter.com/RUQx2GXVD7
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