Iran shot down at least two MQ-1s, US officials say — Jerusalem Post
According to two unnamed US officials familiar with the situation, Iranian fire has shot down at least two US military General Atomics MQ-1 drones in recent days. The Jerusalem Post reported this, citing CBS News.
Location of shoot-downs not established
US officials said that it is currently unknown exactly where the drones were shot down. There is also no confirmation of which MQ-1 modifications the United States lost.
The aircraft modification affects the assessment of financial losses: the older Predator version costs about $4 million, while the newer Gray Eagle is priced at tens of millions of dollars per unit.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Claims regarding the Strait of Hormuz
The report emerged after the state Iranian broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting claimed on Tuesday that Iran had shot down an MQ-1 over the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier the same day, Al Jazeera reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had allegedly shot down a similar aircraft over the international waterway.
CBS News, also citing a report by the US Congressional Budget Office, said that since the start of Operation Epic Fury, the US military has suffered about $720 million in losses as a result of the shoot-down of at least 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones. Another roughly $150 million in losses resulted from the loss of an MQ-4C Triton. US Central Command declined to comment on the CBS report.
