Global Hawk shootdown validates Iran's indigenous SAM capabilities

The shooting down of a US Navy RQ-4A Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle on 20 June appears to have confirmed that Iran has developed highly capable surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems in recent years.

A 3 Khordad system is seen during a February 2017 air defence exercise. (Iran Military Tube)

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced the incident, saying the Global Hawk was shot down near Kuh Mubarak on Iran’s Gulf of Oman coast after it entered Iranian territory without identifying itself. It released a video purportedly showing the engagement, with a 3 Khordad self-propelled SAM system launching a missile at night.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted co-ordinates for the location of the UAV when it was shot down that put it inside Iranian territorial airspace over the Gulf of Oman.

The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed Iran shot down an RQ-4A but stressed that the UAV never entered Iranian airspace. It supported this assertion by releasing an image apparently taken by the UAV of the incoming missile that showed it was located in international airspace at an altitude of 22,209 ft (6,769 m) over the Gulf of Oman immediately before it was hit.

A map released by CENTCOM provided the approximate location of the SAM launch on the Iranian coast some 70 km away.

An image released by CENTCOM appears to show the location and altitude of the RQ-4A immediately before it was hit by an Iranian surface-to-air missile in international airspace. (CENTCOM)

There are no fixed SAM sites within range of the shootdown location, lending credence to the claim that a mobile system like the 3 Khordad was used in the engagement.