MQ-9與RQ-4A雙被擊落

【Comment】

不是在伊朗嗎？怎會在葉門？

原來，6/20凌晨在伊朗的是RQ-4C，6/16在葉門的是MQ-9（SA-7）。

6/20那事，伊朗共和衛隊說，地點在境內20公里處被空軍（Khordad 3）擊落。美國說，在距海岸34公里（約19海里）外的海峽公海上，被地對空飛彈擊落。領海是12海里。

這兩件事情有相關嗎？

可能有。

除了，RQ-4C是在監控伊朗與6/13兩艘油輪被攻擊事件（實際上，在5/14，伊朗早被指控攻擊在UAE港口的4艘油輪）。

Pompeo指：伊朗資助葉門Houthis反抗軍，後者於6/12攻擊沙烏地阿拉伯機場（也長期與沙烏地阿拉伯的聯軍作戰）。

Iran shoots down US RQ-4 Global Hawk surveillance drone    Defense Post 20190620

Iran said it had shot down a U.S. surveillance drone that violated its airspace near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, with the U.S. military saying the RQ-4 Global Hawk was more than 20 miles from the Iranian coast.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a Thursday, June 20 statement that the air force downed a RQ-4 Global Hawk drone over the Kuh-e Mubarak region in Iran’s southern Homozgan province.

Fox News reporter Lucas Tomlinson cited an unnamed U.S. official as saying the drone was a U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton high-altitude drone, and that it was shot down by Iranian surface-to-air missile in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz. The Triton is the U.S. Navy’s version of the Global Hawk.

In a later statement, U.S. Central Command spokesperson Captain Bill Urban said, “U.S. Central Command can confirm that a U.S. Navy Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (or BAMS-D) ISR aircraft was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile system while operating in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz at approximately 11:35 p.m. GMT on June 19, 2019.”

“Iranian reports that the aircraft was over Iran are false,” he said, adding, “This was an unprovoked attack on a U.S. surveillance asset in international airspace.”

IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami said Thursday that “any enemy who trespasses our countries’ borders will not have safety and will be destroyed.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said “sections” of the downed drone had been recovered from Iran’s territorial waters.

The Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk is an unmanned high-altitude long-endurance surveillance aircraft that first flew in February 1998 and has been in active service with the U.S. military since 2001.

With an operational range of 12,300 nautical miles, the Global Hawk can fly at high altitudes for over 30 hours and is capable of near-real-time high-resolution surveillance in all types of weather.

The MQ-4C Triton, first used by the Navy in 2017, features enhanced capabilities, including lightning protection systems to allow the aircraft to descend for closer viewing of targets at sea. It has an operational range of 8,200 nautical miles and can fly over 24 hours at a time, at altitudes higher than 10 miles, according to Northrop.

The BAMS-D is a RQ-4A Global Hawk High-Altitude, Long, Endurance Unmanned Aircraft System used to develop the MQ-4C and in operation while the bulk of the Tritons ordered by the Navy remain in production.

U.S. Lieutenant General Joseph Guastella, Commander of U.S. Air Forces Central Command said in a later statement that the Global Hawk was on a surveillance mission “in the vicinity of recent IRGC maritime attacks when it was shot down by an IRGC surface to air missile fired from a location in the vicinity of Goruk [Gerouk], Iran.”

“At the time of the intercept, the RQ-4 was operating at high-altitude approximately 34 kilometers from the nearest point of land on the Iranian coast,” Guastella said.

The Pentagon released a video purporting to show the smoke trail left after the drone was shot down.

The IRGC later released a video it said was of the drone interception by its Khordad 3 air defense system.

The Khordad 3 or Ra’d (Thunder) is an indigenous mobile air defense system the IRGC says is capable of firing Sayyad 2 surface-to-air missiles along with the older Taer 2 surface-to-air missiles. The Sayyad 2 has a range of 75 km while the Taer 2 has a range of 50 km.

Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz

The Strait of Hormuz, which runs between the Persian Gulf and and Gulf of Oman, is a key shipping route for international commerce.

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have deepened since last year when President Donald Trump announced he was pulling the U.S. out of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal with Iran.

The Trump administration blamed the IRGC for attacks on Japanese and Norwegian fuel tankers in the Gulf of Oman last week, allegations that Iranian officials have denied. The Pentagon said Iran fired a surface-to-air-missile at an American drone the same day.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has also blamed Iran for a Houthi missile attack on a Saudi Arabian airport on June 12. Yemen’s Houthis have been engaged in a war with the Saudi-led coalition since 2015, and Iran denies providing material support to the rebels.

Washington has previously accused Iran of being behind May 12 attacks on four tankers anchored off the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah at the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. has responded to the increased tensions by moving more assets to the Persian Gulf, while insisting it does not want a war with Iran. On June 17, in one of his last acts as Acting Defense Secretary, Patrick Shanahan authorized the deployment of around 1,000 additional U.S. troops to the region.

Statement from US Central Command on attacks against U.S. observation aircraft    USCENTCOM 20190616

TAMPA, Florida, June 16, 2019 — A U.S. MQ-9 was shot down over Yemen by what we assess to be a Houthi SA-6 surface to air missile on Jun 6, 2019. The altitude of the engagement indicated an improvement over previous Houthi capability, which we assess was enabled by Iranian assistance.

On June 13, 2019, according to our assessment, a modified Iranian SA-7 surface-to-air missile attempted to shoot down a U.S. MQ-9 over the Gulf of Oman to disrupt surveillance of the IRGC attack on the M/T Kokuka Courageous. The MQ-9 had arrived minutes earlier at 6:20 a.m. local time at the motor tanker (M/T) Altair and had observed the ship on fire.

The SA-7 was ineffective and its closest point of approach to the MQ-9 was approximately one kilometer.

Subsequent analysis indicates that this was a likely attempt to shoot down or otherwise disrupt the MQ-9 surveillance of the IRGC attack on the M/T Kokuka Courageous.

Lt. Col. Earl Brown, U.S. Central Command Spokesman

CENTCOM: MQ-9 Reaper shot down over Yemen last week    Military News 20190616

An unmanned U.S. observation aircraft was shot down over Yemen on June 6, according to a statement by U.S. Central Command.

CENTCOM said the MQ-9 Reaper was shot down by Houthi rebels with a SA-6 surface-to-air missile that was enabled with Iranian assistance, according to the release.

A week later on June 13, the release said an Iranian SA-7 surface-to-air missile failed to shoot down an MQ-9 that was observing the M/T Kokuka Courageous, one of the two tankers that were attacked in the Gulf of Oman. The Reaper arrived minutes earlier at 6:20 a.m. at the M/T Altair, which was on fire, according to CENTCOM.

The release says the attack on the tankers were carried out by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, which Iran has denied.

The CENTCOM statement appears to confirm reporting by media outlets that Iran tried to shoot down a U.S. drone around the time of the attacks on the tankers, as well as reports that a Reaper drone was shot down the week before by Houthi rebels in Yemen.

CNN reported Saturday that Iran launched a missile at a U.S. drone hours before the attack on the tankers, but failed to shoot it down.

Houthi rebels in Yemen released video footage and photos of what they claim was an MQ-9 that was shot down, according to BreakingDefense.

Statement from US Central Command on attacks against U.S. observation aircraft    USCENTCOM 20190616

TAMPA, Florida, June 16, 2019 — A U.S. MQ-9 was shot down over Yemen by what we assess to be a Houthi SA-6 surface to air missile on Jun 6, 2019. The altitude of the engagement indicated an improvement over previous Houthi capability, which we assess was enabled by Iranian assistance.

On June 13, 2019, according to our assessment, a modified Iranian SA-7 surface-to-air missile attempted to shoot down a U.S. MQ-9 over the Gulf of Oman to disrupt surveillance of the IRGC attack on the M/T Kokuka Courageous. The MQ-9 had arrived minutes earlier at 6:20 a.m. local time at the motor tanker (M/T) Altair and had observed the ship on fire.

The SA-7 was ineffective and its closest point of approach to the MQ-9 was approximately one kilometer.

Subsequent analysis indicates that this was a likely attempt to shoot down or otherwise disrupt the MQ-9 surveillance of the IRGC attack on the M/T Kokuka Courageous.

Lt. Col. Earl Brown, U.S. Central Command Spokesman