Iran says it built attack drone modeled on captured US craft

TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian media says the Revolutionary Guard has built a new attack drone which is similar to a US drone captured five years ago.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Saturday that the “Saegheh” drone was built by the Guard’s aerospace division and is similar to the RQ-170 Sentinel spy drone. The report did not elaborate on the new drone’s range.

Iran claimed to have shot down an RQ-170 drone in December 2011 and broadcast footage of the recovered aircraft. It also claims to have captured three Boeing-designed ScanEagle drones.

Tehran said in 2014 that it had successfully tested its own version of the drone. It said it managed to reverse-engineer the RQ-170 Sentinel, seized in December 2011 after it entered Iranian airspace from neighboring Afghanistan, and that it is capable of launching its own production line for the unmanned aircraft.

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

AFP contributed to this report.