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Published November 10, 2014

Undated photo (received by Reuters from Iran's Sepha News December 8, 2011) shows a member of Iran's revolutionary guard pointing at a 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)

Iran has tested a reproduction of a U.S.-made drone it captured in 2011, Iranian State TV reported Monday.

There were few details available about the reconnaissance drones first flight, but Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh -- the head of the aerospace division of Irans elite Revolutionary Guard -- said the test occurred Monday and he expected a video of the flight to be released soon.

Iran claimed to have captured a U.S. RQ-170 Sentinel in eastern Iran in December 2011. The U.S. military had reported the unmanned drone lost in neighboring Afghanistan.

Tehran displayed the copy of the drone in May, saying it was able to extract valuable technology and reverse-engineer the aircraft, launching its own production line for the countrys defense system.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he was pleased after seeing a replica of the drone, Reuters reported.

"Today is a very sweet and unforgettable day for me," Khamanei said in a video posted by the Tasnim News Agency.

The U.S. has said the security system in the unmanned drone made it unlikely that Iran could retrieve valuable information from it.

Iran says it has captured several American drones in recent years, including a Boeing-designed ScanEagle drone -- a less sophisticated aircraft -- after it entered Iranian airspace over the Persian Gulf. Tehran says it also is copying the ScanEagle and plans to put its version into service.

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Iran tests replica of US drone captured in 2011, state TV says