SAEDNEWS: An advanced MQ-9 drone was destroyed by the aerospace defense forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
According to SAEDNEWS, the Public Relations Office of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced: The aerospace defense fighters of the IRGC targeted and destroyed the highly advanced MQ-9 drone of what was described as the terrorist U.S. military, using newly developed advanced air defense systems operating under the control of the country’s integrated air defense network, in the general region of the south of the country.
The country’s skies are completely unsafe for any hostile aircraft.
The MQ-9 is the first attack drone designed for long-endurance reconnaissance at high altitude.
The MQ-9 drone is a larger, heavier, and more capable aircraft than the MQ-1, and it can be controlled using the same ground systems employed to operate the MQ-1.
The MQ-9 is equipped with a 950 shaft-horsepower (712 kilowatt) turboprop engine (compared to the 115 horsepower (86 kilowatt) piston engine of the MQ-1). The greater power allows the Reaper to carry 15 times more weapons payload and to travel at roughly three times the speed of the MQ-1. The aircraft is monitored and controlled by a flight crew stationed at a Ground Control Station (GCS) and is capable of deploying weapons.
