IRGC shoots down another US MQ-9 drone over Strait of Hormuz

Tehran - BORNA -  In a statement on Monday, the IRGC said the drone was struck by missile fire from the force’s modern air defense units and crashed into the waters of the Persian Gulf.

“A few minutes ago, an American MQ-9 long-range unmanned aerial vehicle was struck by missile fire from the ever-vigilant combatants of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps’ modern air defense units over the Strait of Hormuz and crashed into the blue waters of the Persian Gulf,” it said.

It added that “The continued presence in the field of the history-making Iranian nation is the greatest support for the Islamic Republic’s combatants.”

The MQ-9 Reaper, which the US Air Force has called the “most valuable player” of its campaign against Iran, has suffered catastrophic attrition since the US-Israeli aggression began in late February.

According to Bloomberg, Iran has destroyed over two dozen MQ-9s since the start of the terrorist US-Israeli war—nearly 20 percent of the Pentagon’s pre-war inventory. At $30 million per airframe, the total damage is estimated at approximately $1 billion.

The Air Force’s operational Reaper fleet has fallen to roughly 135 aircraft, well below its own minimum floor of 189, according to congressional testimony cited by Bloomberg and The War Zone.

General Atomics, the manufacturer, has confirmed that fewer than 10 new airframes remain available for purchase, and the production line for the MQ-9A has been shut down.

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