<p>Iran's Revolutionary Guards today claimed it had "captured" a small US drone over Gulf waters after it entered Iranian airspace on an intelligence-gathering mission.<br /><br /></p>.<p>"The unmanned US drone patrolling Persian Gulf waters, performing reconnaissance and gathering intel, was captured as soon as it entered Iranian airspace," the elite unit's naval forces said in a statement cited by state broadcaster IRIB.<br /><br />The statement did not say exactly when, where or how the aircraft was captured. It said the drone had been conducting a mission over "the past few days."<br /><br />The Guards' naval force, tasked with guarding Iranian assets in the Gulf, said the drone was a Boeing-made ScanEagle, a short-range surveillance vehicle with a three-metre wingspan that is typically launched from ships and which can fly up to 100 kilometres.<br /><br />Iran a year ago claimed to have captured a much bigger and sophisticated stealth drone, a bat-winged RQ-170 Sentinel. Tehran rejected a US request for its return and said it would reverse-engineer that drone to make its own.<br /><br />Iran is subject to US surveillance, notably over its controversial nuclear programme.<br /><br />Iran's foreign ministry said last week the United States had violated Iranian airspace eight times in October, and warned of a "serious reaction" if such incursions continued.<br /><br />On November 1, Iranian fighter jets fired on a US drone in the Gulf but failed to bring it down, according to the US Defence Department.<br /><br />The most recent drone claim adds to military tensions between the two arch-foes in the Gulf.<br /><br />Iran said the aircraft was on a reconnaissance mission near Bushehr, which hosts its only nuclear power plant, as well as its main oil terminal at Kharg island. It said the drone had entered Iranian airspace.</p>
<p>Iran's Revolutionary Guards today claimed it had "captured" a small US drone over Gulf waters after it entered Iranian airspace on an intelligence-gathering mission.<br /><br /></p>.<p>"The unmanned US drone patrolling Persian Gulf waters, performing reconnaissance and gathering intel, was captured as soon as it entered Iranian airspace," the elite unit's naval forces said in a statement cited by state broadcaster IRIB.<br /><br />The statement did not say exactly when, where or how the aircraft was captured. It said the drone had been conducting a mission over "the past few days."<br /><br />The Guards' naval force, tasked with guarding Iranian assets in the Gulf, said the drone was a Boeing-made ScanEagle, a short-range surveillance vehicle with a three-metre wingspan that is typically launched from ships and which can fly up to 100 kilometres.<br /><br />Iran a year ago claimed to have captured a much bigger and sophisticated stealth drone, a bat-winged RQ-170 Sentinel. Tehran rejected a US request for its return and said it would reverse-engineer that drone to make its own.<br /><br />Iran is subject to US surveillance, notably over its controversial nuclear programme.<br /><br />Iran's foreign ministry said last week the United States had violated Iranian airspace eight times in October, and warned of a "serious reaction" if such incursions continued.<br /><br />On November 1, Iranian fighter jets fired on a US drone in the Gulf but failed to bring it down, according to the US Defence Department.<br /><br />The most recent drone claim adds to military tensions between the two arch-foes in the Gulf.<br /><br />Iran said the aircraft was on a reconnaissance mission near Bushehr, which hosts its only nuclear power plant, as well as its main oil terminal at Kharg island. It said the drone had entered Iranian airspace.</p>