Iranian media claims US MQ-9 Reaper drone shot down, releases image

Iranian media has claimed that Iranian air defense forces shot down an advanced American MQ-9 Reaper drone near a city in western Iran. Iranian media has also released an image of what it claims is the destroyed drone's debris as evidence. The MQ-9 Reaper is a high-altitude, long-endurance reconnaissance drone, capable of staying airborne for over 27 hours. The platform, originally designed for the global war on terror from 2001 to 2021, was used for high-profile assassinations carrying Hellfire missiles. India has also planned to purchase several of these drones for its armed forces in a package worth over 3 billion dollars. If verified, this would be the first MQ-9 that Iran has shot down as part of the current conflict, though the Houthis have previously succeeded in shooting down several such drones.