In the early morning of June 20 (US time), Iran shot down a US draft in the Holms Strait between Persian Bay and Oman Bay.Iran has revealed that the shot down unmanned aircraft is the "RQ-4A Global Hawk".It is an unmanned aircraft (UAV) of $ 220 million (about 23.6 billion yen), which functions as a large -scale aerial monitoring platform.
Considering the value and exploration ability of the shot down, the attack indicates that the tension between the United States and Iran is becoming more severe.
The Islamic Revolutionary Defense Corps in Iran has crashed into Iranian territory, with Northlop Graman's "Global Hawk" (unmanned aircraft developed in a billions of dollar programs that began in 2001).Was announced.The U.S. Central Army confirmed the time of the attack and a rough position, but argued that the unmanned aircraft had flown over international water.
The shooting down occurred shortly after the United States blamed Iran when Iran was involved in the case of two fuel tankers attacked in Oman Bay.The United States also announced that Iran had tried to shoot down another unmanned aircraft "MQ-9 Reaper" but failed.
The Pentagon also associated Iran with an attack that caused a crash of a replane unmanned aircraft two weeks ago.However, the attack on the 20th is to attack a very expensive unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, indicating that it shows a clearer tension.
"A lot of things are happening here. Only a part has been confirmed," said Thomas Karako, director of the US Strategic International Research (CSIS) missile defense project."This is an expensive unmanned aircraft, which is a high -altitude and high -performance intelligence monitoring reconnaissance machine that can fly high altitude., Some retaliation measures may be invited. "
The latest flying monitoring tower
Global Hawk is a large -scale monitoring platform that has been used since 2001.The wing width is 40m or more, and the maximum takeoff weight is 16 tons or more.This is a weight equivalent to about seven transport containers packed with cocaine.
The cruising range can be flyed at a surprisingly high altitude of 22,000 km or more, an altitude of 18,000m, and the continuous flight time is 34 hours.There is no attack ability.The value of global hawk is the ability to monitor the ground or marine in very detail, combining its cruising range, a good view, and sustainability with a powerful surveillance sensor.According to an analysis of the U.S. Government Responsibility Bureau (GAO), the global hawk cost more than $ 22 million (about 23.6 billion yen) for manufacturing and equipment.
Global Hawk is usually equipped with a sensor that supports infrared and thermaluing, radar and electrical optical imaging.And with the huge aircraft and transportation capacity, it is possible to obtain detailed images of the target using devices such as a huge telephone lens for unmanned aircraft.