Iran also seized a U.S. MQM-170 in late October<\/p>\n
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has announced that its Aerospace Force grounded two more American MQM-170 reconnaissance drones over southern Qeshm Island using advanced electronic warfare systems.<\/strong><\/p>\n In a statement issued on Thursday, the IRGC Public Relations Office said the fifth and sixth drones of this type were brought down moments earlier, bringing the total number of US MQM-170 aircraft captured by Iranian forces to six.<\/p>\n The operations were carried out south of Qeshm Island in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n The latest achievement came a day after the IRGC Aerospace Force destroyed the 15th US MQ-1 drone over the same island. The Corps has previously reported grounding 14 drones of the same type.<\/p>\n Earlier, IRGC forces also destroyed the 55th American MQ-9 Reaper drone east of the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n Following the successful interceptions, the IRGC stated that US forces have intensified spying and intelligence flights in the region in an attempt to map Iran\u2019s air defenses.<\/p>\n The Aerospace Force has responded with a series of successful interceptions, once again thwarting Washington\u2019s objectives.<\/p>\n The MQM-170 Outlaw, manufactured by the US firm Griffon Aerospace, is primarily designed as an aerial target and decoy platform for testing air-defense systems, though it has also been employed in reconnaissance missions to probe Iranian defenses along the Persian Gulf coast and the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n Iranian officials have said the intact capture of such aircraft provides valuable intelligence on the adversary\u2019s equipment and operational methods.<\/p>\n These developments form part of a broader pattern of effective responses by Iran\u2019s integrated air-defense network and indigenous electronic warfare capabilities since the start of the illegal US-Israeli war of aggression against the Islamic Republic in February 2026.<\/p>\n Iranian forces have repeatedly neutralized advanced American unmanned aerial vehicles, including multiple MQ-9 and MQ-1 platforms, demonstrating the resilience and technological self-reliance of the country\u2019s defenses in the face of continued hostile aerial activity over its sovereign territory.<\/p>\n