The naval forces of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps claimed they have captured a U.S. drone that had entered the Iranian airspace; however, the U.S. Navy and Obama administration quickly denied the claim saying that all its drones are "fully accounted for."
Iran claimed it seized an unmanned surveillance aircraft after it allegedly flew into Iranian airspace over the Persian Gulf and detailed its claim in an 11-minute video footage in the state-controlled Press TV. The video showed a small, unmarked drone being inspected by two Iranian military officials and the narrator said the drone came off an aircraft carrier. The state news media said the drone was a ScanEagle built by Boeing.
"State television showed images of what seemed to be an intact ScanEagle being inspected by Rear Adm. Ali Fadavi, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards' naval forces. The drone was displayed in front of a large map of the Persian Gulf with a text in English and Persian saying, "We shall trample on the U.S.," The New York Times reported.
However, a spokesman for U.S. Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain said none of its drones were missing.
"The U.S. Navy has fully accounted for all unmanned air vehicles (UAV) operating in the Middle East region. Our operations in the Gulf are confined to internationally recognized water and air space," Commander Jason Salata told Reuters. Echoing the Navy denial, White House spokesman Jay Carney said, "We have no evidence that the Iranian claims are true."
The Associated Press reported that if Iran's claims are true, this "would be the third reported incident involving Iran and U.S. drones in the past two years."
"As standard payload ScanEagle carries either an inertially stabilized electro-optical or an infrared camera. The gimbaled camera allows the operator to easily track both stationary and moving targets, providing real-time intelligence," the Boeing website said. "Boeing is providing ScanEagle UAVs, communication links and ground equipment for Naval Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) and oil platform security in the Persian Gulf. The Navy awarded Boeing a $13 million contract modification in September 2005 to provide ScanEagle system support for Navy high-speed vessels and an afloat forward staging base as well."
