Iran says it has built copy of captured US drone
An undated picture received December 8, 2011 shows a member of Iran's revolutionary guard pointing at the U.S. RQ-170 unmanned spy plane as he speaks with Amirali Hajizadeh (R), a revolutionary guard commander, at an unknown location in Iran.REUTERS/Sepah News.ir
Iran says it has succeeded in copying an American drone it captured in 2011 and will soon take the replicated aircraft on a test flight.
State television in Iran broadcasted images Sunday apparently showing a replicated US RQ-170 Sentinel drone alongside the original one, according to the AFP.
"Our engineers succeeded in breaking the drone's secrets and copying them, an officer in the footage reportedly said. It will soon take a test flight."
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was inspecting the aircraft during an exhibition organized by the countrys Revolutionary Guards air wing, said the unmanned drone is very important for reconnaissance missions," the AFP reports.
Iran has long claimed it managed to reverse-engineer the RQ-170 Sentinel, seized in December 2011 after it entered Iranian airspace from its eastern border with Afghanistan, and that it's capable of launching its own production line for the unmanned aircraft.
After initially saying only that a drone had been lost near the Afghan-Iran border, American officials eventually confirmed the Sentinel had been monitoring Iran's military and nuclear facilities. Washington asked for it back but Iran refused, and instead released photos of Iranian officials studying the aircraft.
U.S. officials have said Iran will find it hard to exploit any data and technology aboard it because of measures taken to limit the intelligence value of drones operating over hostile territory.
Iranian state television on Sunday also showed images that were apparently recorded by an Iranian drone flying over a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Gulf, according to the AFP.
Meanwhile, Iran's president said Sunday his country would not surrender what it considers its right to nuclear development in upcoming talks with world powers, but that it would be "transparent" in negotiations over the contested program.
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Iran says it has built copy of captured US drone