An Iranian ship captured a US Navy marine drone but released it after a US patrol boat and helicopter were deployed to the scene, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
The US 5th Fleet Central Command said an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy support ship, the Shahid Baziar, was seen towing the 7-meter-long Saildrone Explorer-type marine drone to last morning time the night of August 29 to 30.
Equipped with sensors, radar and cameras, the US marine drone was in international waters in the Gulf and collecting navigation data as well as unspecified data, the Fifth Fleet said in a statement.
A ship deployed to intimidate Iran
When the Iranian ship was observed towing the drone, US forces deployed a patrol boat operating near the area, as well as an MH-60 Sea Hawk helicopter, based in Bahrain.
Their deployment led to the Iranian ship “disconnecting the tow line and leaving the area about four hours later” without further incident, the Fifth Fleet said.
Iran’s actions were “unwarranted and inconsistent with the behavior of a professional maritime force,” US Vice Admiral Brad Cooper said in a statement.
The Saildrone Explorer has a rigid wing in the shape of a sail, five meters high, and has solar panels. The marine drone is thus propelled over the waves by solar and wind power and can be sent on a mission for a period of up to a year, being operated remotely.
It can collect a wide range of ocean, weather, and navigation data, as well as strategic intelligence.
The Fifth Fleet emphasized that the drone was owned by the US government, but that the technology it contained was “commercially available” and that it “retains no sensitive or classified information.”
Source: BFM TV
