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Statement

Statement | June 20, 2019

U.S. Central Command Statement: Iranians shoot down U.S. drone

U.S. Central Command

TAMPA, Fla.  –  

"U.S. Central Command can confirm that a U.S. Navy Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (or BAMS-D) ISR aircraft was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile system while operating in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz at approximately 11:35 p.m. GMT on June 19, 2019. 

Iranian reports that the aircraft was over Iran are false. 

This was an unprovoked attack on a U.S. surveillance asset in international airspace.

The BAMS-D is a RQ-4A Global Hawk High-Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) and provides real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions (ISR) over vast ocean and coastal regions."

- Attributable to Navy Capt. Bill Urban, U.S. Central Command spokesman