An F,A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the Argonauts of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147 takes off from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) in July 2017
USNI NEWS, August 8, 2017 - An Iranian drone harassed an F/A-18E SuperHornet assigned to USS Nimitz (CVN-68) operating in the Central Persian Gulf today, USNI News understands.
A Navy official told USNI News that the incident occurred around 1 p.m. local time today. The Iranian drone, about 14 feet by 26 feet, flew at the Super Hornet and came within 100 feet vertically and 200 feet laterally. The Super Hornet maneuvered to avoid the collision, the Navy official said.
The official added that the Super Hornet, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147, was operating in international air space at the time of the incident.
A defense official told USNI News that the Iranian drone involved was a QOM-1. The U.S. Navy made repeated radio calls to stay clear of the jet’s operations, but the QOM-1 continued to make unsafe altitude changes while the Super Hornet was in a holding pattern ahead of landing on Nimitz.
No comments:
Post a Comment