Iran claims RQ-4 shootdown
 

Just breaking now.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/middle-...20-p51zmf.html
If correct, that would be a significant escalation?
A rather expensive and important asset...

Uh oh.
 

Well - Mike Pompeo would struggle to claim one american harmed ;)

Here we go...

BREAKING: President Trump has urged his administration official to "tone down" their talk about Iran, reminding them that he is not interested in a military confrontation with Tehran, despite the hawkish views of some of his advisors

US now saying it was a Triton.

"Our glorious Revolutionary Guard took down the American Imperialist jackal drone with one of our limpet mines, salvaged earlier from the decadent western tanker......."

Eek. No doubt bits of said drone will now be enroute to Moscow and Beijing

For the US, perhaps. Iran is entitled to defend its airspace.

I wonder if there is a rather "neutral" 3rd party in that area to confirm whether the drone was downed in the iranian airspace or over international waters.
Oman?

Unless they were in Iranian airspace, which (ahem, allegedly) happened all the time in the Khosrowabad area with US aircraft heading SE out of Iraqi airspace.

Nope! Not at all.

It is considered a cost of doing business and can be used for political purposes after the fact to show hostile intent and culpability by Iran in the Tanker Attacks.

If the Iranians are such peace loving and kindly folk they would not interfere with anything or anyone assisting in providing security for commercial ship traffic would they especially in International Waters or International Airspace.

For sure....they have no legal justification for downing any aircraft or firing upon any vessel in International waters do they...unless one of their vessels are being attacked.

The Sanctions must be putting some real hurt on them....and the radical elements within their government must be acting out over it.

I wonder if they have a ribbon for that situation ;)

I thought they already had some stray ones from Afghanistan etc.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E...Q-170_incident

Would you be surprised if the drone was NOT in international waters? While Iranian leadership were not among the honest people for decades, US military ops have had their fair share of stories too.... I guess we will never know as 3rd parties will not be allowed in and it is a word against word.

I would not be surprised by anything re US military and Non-Military Intelligence gathering operations.

One thing I would for sure be surprised at would be anyone posting here at pprune have any real idea about the matter at hand.

Those that know....darn tooting will not be posting here.

From my view point....we could have dozens of Drones overhead Iran on a 24/7 basis and I would not be bothered about the Iranian response at all.

Drone surveillance should be an adjunct to Satellite and other methods of intelligence gathering as they are subject to interdiction.

Assuming warnings were given on guard before the engagement, would the drone operator been aware of these?