DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CNN) — Two Russian jets shot down a U.S. MQ-9 drone over the Black Sea, the Pentagon announced Tuesday.
This is not the first time the MQ-9 has hit the headlines in the media, and the Houthis in Yemen who claimed to have shot down one of them, accusing Iran of being behind it, have already sparked similar news. The plane that killed Qasem Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, near Baghdad airport.
“MQ-9” is an unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by the American company “General Atomics”. It is a multi-purpose “drone” whose missions vary between surveillance, reconnaissance and attacking ground targets. It is also used as a missile launcher. On the battlefields, the most prominent users of this aircraft are the military, the Americans, who have effectively used it to attack bases in Afghanistan.
The MQ-9 is one of the latest US drones and includes high-tech specifications including an advanced radar system and high-resolution cameras and sensors that can scan a 360-degree area. According to General Atomics, the plane weighs about 5 tons. It carried large-scale laser-guided missiles and bombs with a wingspan of 11 meters long and 20 meters wide.
The flight range of the aircraft is about 3,000 km, its maximum altitude is 45,000 feet, and the maximum speed is about 240 km. In addition to being capable of operating in severe weather conditions, this aircraft is designed to fly for extended periods of time. Time up to 40 hours.
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