Sat, Nov 10, 2012
Su-25 Aircraft Were Unable To Hit The Predator Aircraft
Iranian Air Force fighter jets reportedly took a shot at a U.S. Predator drone flying over the Persian Gulf on November 1st, but were unable to hit the UAV. The Predator was on a routine surveillance mission in international airspace, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said during a news conference.
"Our aircraft was never in Iranian airspace. It was always flying in international air space. The recognized limit is 12 nautical miles off the coast, and we never entered the 12 nautical mile limit," Little said.
CNN reports that Little said this is the first time an unmanned aircraft has been targeted by Iranians in international waters over the Gulf. While he did not call the incident an act of war, there is said to be "concern" on the part of the Pentagon.
The Su-25s reportedly fired at least two cannon bursts at the UAS, causing the Predator's operators to turn away from the hostile aircraft. The Iranians reportedly chased the drone before breaking off and returning to Iran. The airplanes were reportedly part of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, which is considered more aggressive than the country's regular forces.
The incident was not disclosed before the election. Reuters reports that Iran's Fars news agency quoted General Massoud Jazayeri, a senior armed forces commander, as saying "The defenders of the Islamic Republic will respond decisively to any form of encroachment by air, sea or on the ground." Iran said the attack was a "warning" to the U.S. that it would not tolerate "foreign encroachment" into its airspace.
(USAF Predator pictured in file photo)
More News
Very High Frequency The frequency band between 30 and 300 MHz. Portions of this band, 108 to 118 MHz, are used for certain NAVAIDs; 118 to 136 MHz are used for civil air/ground voi>[...]
Aero Linx: Aviation Suppliers Association Established February 25, 1993, the Aviation Suppliers Association (ASA), based in Washington, D.C., is a not-for-profit association, repre>[...]
Have A Story That NEEDS To Be Featured On Aero-News? Here’s How To Submit A Story To Our Team Some of the greatest new stories ANN has ever covered have been submitted by our>[...]
From 2021 (YouTube Version): Colorado Campus Offers aVariety Of Aerospace Entertainment And Education Wings over the Rockies Exploration of Flight is the second location for the Wi>[...]
Also: Paramotor Champ's, Electric Ultralight, ICON BK Update, Burt Rutan at Oshkosh! The Popular Rotorcraft Association is reaching out for help in rebuilding their private runway >[...]