More atUPDATED: Iranian Drone Harasses F/A-18E Super Hornet Preparing to Land on USS Nimitz
August 8, 2017 12:24 PM
This post has been updated to include U.S. Naval Forces Central Command’s official statement on the incident.
According to the NAVCENT statement,
“despite repeated radio calls to stay clear of active fixed-wing flight operations in vicinity of USS Nimitz, the QOM-1 executed unsafe and unprofessional altitude changes in the close vicinity of an F/A-18E in a holding pattern preparing to land on the aircraft carrier.”
The following is U.S. Naval Forces Central Command’s full statement on the incident:
While operating in international airspace in the Central Arabian Gulf,
an F/A-18E Super Hornet from the “Argonauts” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147 assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68)
had an unsafe and unprofessional interaction with an Iranian QOM-1 unmanned aerial vehicle Aug. 8.
Despite repeated radio calls
to stay clear of active fixed-wing flight operations
in vicinity of USS Nimitz,
the QOM-1 executed unsafe and unprofessional altitude changes
in the close vicinity of an F/A-18E in a holding pattern preparing to land on the aircraft carrier.
The F/A-18E maneuvered to avoid collision
with the QOM-1
resulting in a lateral separation of approximately 200 feet and a vertical separation of approximately 100 feet.
The dangerous maneuver by the QOM-1 in the known vicinity of fixed wing flight operations
and at coincident altitude with operating aircraft
created a collision hazard and is not in keeping with international maritime customs and laws.
This is the 13th unsafe and/or unprofessional interaction between U.S. and Iranian maritime forces in 2017.
https://news.usni.org/2017/08/08/irania ... uss-nimitz