Iran is deliberately targeting U.S. naval drones in the Strait of Hormuz to gather intelligence on American surveillance capabilities and learn how to evade U.S. defenses, drone experts warned Tuesday. Tehran’s strategy is coordinated, they said, and involves exposing critical insights into U.S. Navy theater operations in the world’s most vulnerable maritime choke point even when classified data is uncompromised.
The warning came as tensions escalated in the Gulf region Sept. 14 after the U.S. military destroyed two Iranian small boats amid an attempted seizure by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of an American unmanned surface vessel (USV) patrolling the area, according to reports. US MILITARY ATTACKS IRAN IN 'SELF-DEFENSE STRIKES' OVER WEEKEND Iranian state media initially said the incident was a U.S. strike on civilian fishing vessels while its officials reported search-and-rescue operations off the coast of Kargan and near Larak Island, claiming local fishermen were missing. Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesperson Capt.
Tim Hawkins confirmed the attempted seizure on Tuesday. "Iranian small boats recently attempted to take possession of a U.S. unmanned surface vessel, but they were unsuccessful after CENTCOM forcefully responded," Hawkins said. "The surface drone remains under U.S. operational control." "What’s going on with drones generally in the Strait right now—when we see all these types of intel capture missions that Iran is launching—we need to make no mistake that these are very coordinated, absolutely deliberate drone capture missions," Cameron Chell, CEO of U.S. drone manufacturer Draganfly, told Fox News Digital.
PENTAGON JUMPS FROM $225M TO $55B ON DRONES AS CHEAP ATTACKS OVERWHELM US DEFENSES Chell warned that even a brief examination of a captured drone provides Tehran with a quick win by revealing how the U.S. conducts surveillance and how to counter those systems. "If Iran captures a drone, it could give them an immediate tactical advantage," Chell said. "It may not yield specific classified data, but it gives insight into the theater of operations, which at any given moment offers an advantage.
I wouldn’t doubt it for a heartbeat that it is escalating." "Just getting little tidbits of intel starts to paint a picture, giving them different attack plans, battle plans, and thoughts on what the U.S. might be doing. I would be very surprised if this wasn’t an ongoing effort." WHO CONTROLS THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ RIGHT NOW? HERE'S WHAT THE SHIP TRAFFIC ACTUALLY SHOWS Iran's attempts to capture drones underscore growing security volatility in the Strait of Hormuz, the vital international shipping lane where commercial transit has fallen below historic levels since the war broke out in February.
Chell emphasized that any access to captured hardware over the last six months would allow Iranian forces to evaluate sensitive onboard sensors. "It really speaks to the bigger picture of how the whole intelligence infrastructure works of, say, the Navy, for example," Chell said. "The other important thing is that when they get their hands on these drones—even if they’re only able to spend some time glimpsing at them before they have to evacuate or abort a mission—is they get a real understanding of the types of sensors on them." IRAN SAYS ITS SMALL SUBS DEPLOYED TO STRAIT OF HORMUZ AS EXPERT EXPLAINS THREAT: ‘VULNERABLE TO DETECTION’ "That gives them a complete picture of how they can launch attacks and evade the type of sensing equipment out there," Chell continued.
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