Iran Targets U.S. Naval Drones in Hormuz to Exploit Surveillance Tactics, After Sept. 14 Seizure Attempt
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 16
Iran Targets U.S. Naval Drones in Hormuz to Exploit Surveillance Tactics, After Sept. 14 Seizure Attempt
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 16
Summary
Drone experts said Iran is deliberately trying to capture U.S. naval drones in the Strait of Hormuz, using even brief access to study sensors, patrol patterns and ways to evade American defenses.
Cameron Chell of Draganfly said the effort appears coordinated and escalating, arguing captured hardware can expose theater operations and give Tehran immediate tactical advantages even without classified data.
CENTCOM said Iranian small boats on Sept. 14 tried to seize a U.S. unmanned surface vessel before U.S. forces destroyed two boats and kept the drone under American control.
The warning follows Iran’s Sept. 8 capture of an Anduril Dive-LD underwater drone and fits a longer pattern that includes the 2011 RQ-170 seizure and a 2022 attempt to tow away a Saildrone.
The incidents add to strain in the Strait of Hormuz, where CENTCOM says 44 commercial vessels have already been told to turn around or return to port since regional fighting intensified.