Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced the destruction of an advanced US MQ-9 Reaper drone over southern Iran, warning that Iranian airspace is completely unsafe for enemy aircraft.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claims to have shot down a high-tech American military drone. According to the pro-military Iranian Telegram channel خبرفوری جنگ🚨اخبارفوری امریکا فوری, the ultra-advanced MQ9 drone was destroyed by the IRGC Aerospace Defense.
Expanding on the incident, the state-aligned Iranian news aggregator آخرین خبر published a detailed statement from IRGC Public Relations. The statement declared that IRGC fighters utilized modern, advanced defense systems integrated within the national air defense network to target and shatter the ultra-advanced MQ9 drone of the terrorist US army in the general southern region of the country. Following the strike, the IRGC issued a stern warning, asserting that the country's sky is completely unsafe for all types of enemy aircraft.
To emphasize the significance of the interception, آخرین خبر also detailed the technical capabilities of the downed aircraft. The channel described the MQ-9 Reaper as the first strike drone designed for long-term, high-altitude surveillance. Highlighting its superiority over the older MQ-1 model, the report noted that the MQ-9 features a 950 horsepower-shaft turboprop engine, allowing it to carry 15 times more ammunition payload and travel at approximately three times the speed of its predecessor.
Both sources are strongly aligned with Iranian state and military narratives, utilizing highly charged language characteristic of IRGC public relations materials. The technical descriptions of the MQ-9 appear directly sourced from standard military specification sheets to emphasize the technological capability required to down the aircraft.