The drone was intercepted and destroyed at 2:29 a.m. local time on Wednesday over Qeshm Island by the Iran’s advanced air defense system, the IRGC's Public Relations Office announced

“During the Third Imposed War, hundreds of hostile drones have been shot down by the country’s air defense forces,” the IRGC said, noting that Lucas, Hermes, MQ-1 and MQ-9 drones were among them.

The IRGC Aerospace Force also intercepted and destroyed an MQ-1 Predator drone over the skies of the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.

The downing came hours after the IRGC announced the interception and destruction of another US MQ-1 over the strategic waterway, bringing the total number of MQ-1s downed by Iran’s Armed forces’ integrated air defense network to 3.

A few days earlier, the IRGC had also announced the destruction of a US military unmanned surface vessel, or drone boat, at the entrance to the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The operation was carried out last Thursday, with the IRGC describing it as “a precise, intelligent and timely action” in defense of Iran’s territorial integrity and vital national interests.

Meanwhile, American business news channel Bloomberg also reported that Iran has eliminated more than two dozen MQ-9 drones since the onset of the US-Israeli war in late February, accounting for nearly 20 percent of the Pentagon’s inventory before the offensive.

Congressional testimony indicates that the operational MQ-9 fleet of the US Air Force has decreased to approximately 135 aircraft, significantly below its established minimum threshold of 189, as reported by Bloomberg.

The San Diego-headquartered manufacturer of MQ-9, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, has confirmed that there are fewer than 10 new airframes still available for acquisition, and the production line for the Reaper drone has ceased operations.

Military experts note that the increased loss of MQ-9 drones has prompted the US Army to use the older MQ-1 version for its sustained aggression against Iran.