The drone “aggressively approached” the aircraft carrier with “unclear intent”. (Photo: Reuters)
US Central Command on Tuesday said a Navy fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that was approaching the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea.
In an emailed statement Tuesday, US Central Command said the drone “aggressively approached” the aircraft carrier with “unclear intent” and it “continued to fly toward the ship despite de-escalatory measures taken by US forces operating in international waters.”
The Shahed-139 drone was shot down by an F-35C fighter jet from the Lincoln, which, according to US Central Command, was sailing about 800 kilometres from Iran’s southern coast. The military’s statement noted that no American troops were harmed and no equipment was damaged.
According to the US military, the shootdown also occurred within hours of another incident in which Iranian forces harassed a US-flagged and US-crewed merchant vessel that was sailing in the Strait of Hormuz.
“Two IRGC boats and an Iranian Mohajer drone approached M/V Stena Imperative at high speeds and threatened to board and seize the tanker,” Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson at the US military’s Central Command, said.
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Hawkins said a US Navy warship, the McFaul, was operating in the area and escorted the Stena Imperative.
“The situation de-escalated as a result, and the US-flagged tanker is proceeding safely,” Hawkins added.
The Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, including the flagship that can carry up to 90 aircraft and 3,200 personnel, along with its escort ships, destroyers USS Frank E. Petersen, Jr., USS Spruance, and USS Michael Murphy, is being deployed in the Middle East as part of the US pressure campaign against the Iranian regime.
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The drone “aggressively approached” the aircraft carrier with “unclear intent”. (Photo: Reuters) 
