Friday, December 09, 2011

Washington Silent on Spy Drone Downed by Iran

US silent on spy drone downed by Iran

Fri Dec 9, 2011 7:6PM
presstv.ir

RQ-170 Sentinel stealth aircraft captured by Iranian military in east country.

The US and CIA continue to remain silent and refused to adopt an official position more than a day after Iran unveiled the American spy drone downed by the Iranian military, Press TV reports.

The Iranian Army's electronic warfare unit downed with minimum damage the US RQ-170 Sentinel stealth aircraft which was flying over the Iranian city of Kashmar, some 140 miles (225km) from the Afghan border, on Sunday December 4.

Two days later, two US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the drone has been part of a CIA reconnaissance mission, involving the United State's intelligence community stationed in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Iran's envoy to the UN, Mohammad Khazaei has called on the world body to condemn the United States' violation of Iranian airspace. He said the RQ-170 was flying 250 kilometers inside Iranian territory when it was forced down.

Iran's Foreign Ministry summoned the Swiss ambassador to Tehran on Thursday, to protest Washington's illegal move.

Meanwhile, Iran has announced that it intends to carry out reverse engineering on the captured drone, which is also known as the Beast of Kandahar, and is similar in design to a US Air Force B-2 stealth bomber.

The RQ-170 is an unmanned stealth aircraft designed and developed by the Lockheed Martin Company.

It is one of America's most advanced surveillance aircraft. Its loss is considered a major embarrassment to Washington.

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