Iran shoots down US drone: Live updates - CNN

The drone that the US says was shot down in international airspace on Thursday was a MQ-4C Triton, designed by US national security contractor Northrop Grumman.

It is the larger, maritime-optimized cousin to Northrop's Global Hawk, and is capable of carrying out surveillance missions for up to 24 hours, with a sensor that provides a 360-degree view of its surroundings for over 2,000 nautical miles.

Triton operates from "five land-based sites worldwide as a part of a family of maritime patrol and reconnaissance systems," according to the United States Government Accountability Office. Designs on the drone started in 2008 and it had its first flight in 2013, before reaching Initial Operational Capability (IOC) last year.

The US Navy has ordered 68 of the aircraft, which had a reported total program cost of $12.7 billion. Australia is also spending $6.2 billion to acquire six of the aircraft.

A video from the US Navy shows the aircraft making its first flight:

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2019-06-20 12:08:00Z
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Iran shoots down US drone: Live updates - CNN

The downing of the US drone was a warning message to the United States that Iranian army forces are capable of countering any “foreign aggression,” the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. Major General Hossein Salami has said, according to the country's Tasnim news agency on Thursday. 

In a strongly worded statement, Salami said the nation is "ready and prepared" for war.

“The downing of the American drone is an open, clear and categorical message, which is: the defenders of the borders of Iran will decisively deal with any foreign aggression” Salami said. "This is the way the Iranian nation deals with its enemies," he added.

Salami said Iran’s airspace is “a red line,” and warned the US that "the only way for our enemies to be safe is to respect our sovereignty, national security, and the national interests of the great Iranian nation.”

“We declare that we do not want war with any country, but we are completely and totally ready and prepared for war,” he said.

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2019-06-20 11:47:00Z
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Iran shoots down US drone: Live updates - CNN

A US drone was shot down by Iranian forces on Thursday, in a move likely to escalate tensions between the two adversaries. The two nations vary in their accounts of the attack.

What the US has said: A US official told CNN that Iran shot down a US military drone in international airspace Thursday, over the Strait of Hormuz.

What Iran has said: A contradictory earlier report from Iran's state-run Press TV said the country's elite Revolutionary Guards fired on an "intruding American spy drone," downing it over the country's southern coastal province of Hormozga, inside Iranian airspace.

What sort of drone was involved? Press TV reported the drone was a US-made RQ-4 Global Hawk, while the US official said it was a MQ-4C Triton. Both are unmanned surveillance aircraft developed by weapons manufacturer Northrop Grumman.

CNN has been unable to independently verify the details of the Iranian state media report.

Reuters quoted Cap. Bill Urban, a spokesman for the US Central Command, as saying "no US aircraft were operating in Iranian airspace" Thursday.

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2019-06-20 11:03:00Z
52780317816762

Iran shoots down US drone: Live updates - CNN

A US drone was shot down by Iranian forces on Thursday, in a move likely to escalate tensions between the two adversaries. The two nations vary in their accounts of the attack.

What the US has said: A US official told CNN that Iran shot down a US military drone in international airspace Thursday, over the Strait of Hormuz.

What Iran has said: A contradictory earlier report from Iran's state-run Press TV said the country's elite Revolutionary Guards fired on an "intruding American spy drone," downing it over the country's southern coastal province of Hormozga, inside Iranian airspace.

What sort of drone was involved? Press TV reported the drone was a US-made RQ-4 Global Hawk, while the US official said it was a MQ-4C Triton. Both are unmanned surveillance aircraft developed by weapons manufacturer Northrop Grumman.

CNN has been unable to independently verify the details of the Iranian state media report.

Reuters quoted Cap. Bill Urban, a spokesman for the US Central Command, as saying "no US aircraft were operating in Iranian airspace" Thursday.

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https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/iran-us-drone-shot-down-latest-intl/index.html

2019-06-20 10:54:00Z
52780317816762

Iran shoots down US drone: Live updates - CNN

A US drone was shot down by Iranian forces on Thursday, in a move likely to escalate tensions between the two adversaries. The two nations vary in their accounts of the attack.

What the US has said: A US official told CNN that Iran shot down a US military drone in international airspace Thursday, over the Strait of Hormuz.

What Iran has said: A contradictory earlier report from Iran's state-run Press TV said the country's elite Revolutionary Guards fired on an "intruding American spy drone," downing it over the country's southern coastal province of Hormozga, inside Iranian airspace.

What sort of drone was involved? Press TV reported the drone was a US-made RQ-4 Global Hawk, while the US official said it was a MQ-4C Triton. Both are unmanned surveillance aircraft developed by weapons manufacturer Northrop Grumman.

CNN has been unable to independently verify the details of the Iranian state media report.

Reuters quoted Cap. Bill Urban, a spokesman for the US Central Command, as saying "no US aircraft were operating in Iranian airspace" Thursday.

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https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/iran-us-drone-shot-down-latest-intl/index.html

2019-06-20 10:17:00Z
52780317816762

Iran shoots down US drone: Live updates - CNN

A US drone was shot down by Iranian forces on Thursday, in a move likely to escalate tensions between the two adversaries. The two nations vary in their accounts of the attack.

What the US has said: A US official told CNN that Iran shot down a US military drone in international airspace Thursday, over the Strait of Hormuz.

What Iran has said: A contradictory earlier report from Iran's state-run Press TV said the country's elite Revolutionary Guards fired on an "intruding American spy drone," downing it over the country's southern coastal province of Hormozga, inside Iranian airspace.

What sort of drone was involved? Press TV reported the drone was a US-made RQ-4 Global Hawk, while the US official said it was a MQ-4C Triton. Both are unmanned surveillance aircraft developed by weapons manufacturer Northrop Grumman.

CNN has been unable to independently verify the details of the Iranian state media report.

Reuters quoted Cap. Bill Urban, a spokesman for the US Central Command, as saying "no US aircraft were operating in Iranian airspace" Thursday.

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https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/iran-us-drone-latest-intl/index.html

2019-06-20 09:41:00Z
52780317816762

Iran shoots down US drone: Live updates - CNN

A US drone was shot down by Iranian forces on Thursday, in a move likely to escalate tensions between the two adversaries. The two nations vary in their accounts of the attack.

What the US has said: A US official told CNN that Iran shot down a US military drone in international airspace Thursday, over the Strait of Hormuz.

What Iran has said: A contradictory earlier report from Iran's state-run Press TV said the country's elite Revolutionary Guards fired on an "intruding American spy drone," downing it over the country's southern coastal province of Hormozga, inside Iranian airspace.

What sort of drone was involved? Press TV reported the drone was a US-made RQ-4 Global Hawk, while the US official said it was a MQ-4C Triton. Both are unmanned surveillance aircraft developed by weapons manufacturer Northrop Grumman.

CNN has been unable to independently verify the details of the Iranian state media report.

Reuters quoted Cap. Bill Urban, a spokesman for the US Central Command, as saying "no US aircraft were operating in Iranian airspace" Thursday.

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2019-06-20 09:32:00Z
52780317816762