The IRGC Aerospace Force intercepted and destroyed the unmanned aircraft at 10:12 a.m. local time on Thursday over Qeshm Island, using a new advanced air-defense system under the control of Iran’s integrated air-defense network.

The MQ-9 is the 53rd US drone to have been destroyed by Iranian forces. The total number of enemy drones destroyed by Iran’s armed forces since the beginning of the war has reached several hundred, according to the IRGC.

The latest downing comes two days after the IRGC announced the interception and destruction of three US MQ-1 Predator drones in a single day over the Strait of Hormuz.

The repeated destruction of US drones comes as the operational MQ-9 fleet of the US Air Force has fallen significantly below its established minimum level.

US congressional testimony delivered on May 12 indicated that the operational MQ-9 fleet had decreased to approximately 135 aircraft, compared with a minimum threshold of 189, Bloomberg reported.

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, the San Diego-headquartered manufacturer of the MQ-9, has confirmed that fewer than 10 new airframes remain available for acquisition, while production of the Reaper drone has ceased.

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.

The latest drone interception also comes as Iranian officials highlight the challenges US military systems have faced during the war.

Speaking at a meeting with women working in Iran’s defense industry on Thursday, Brigadier General Majid Ebn-e-Reza, acting defense minister, said the recent war has demonstrated the challenges facing US military systems in confronting Iran’s missile and drone capabilities.

“Until yesterday, the military forces of the aggressive and terrorist US army were confident in their weapons and military capabilities based on Trump’s baseless claims.

“However, the reality on the battlefield showed that Patriot and THAAD systems, as well as Tomahawk missiles, faced challenges when confronted with Iran’s advanced missile and drone technologies,” he said.

Ebn-e-Reza said Iran’s deterrence capabilities are now in the hands of the country’s young scientists, researchers and engineers who have enhanced Iran’s defense capabilities by designing and producing next-generation systems.

The acting defense minister added that what concerns Iran’s enemies is not only the country’s existing military capabilities but also the pace at which those capabilities are developing.

This concern, he said, will increase as more women enter the country’s defense and technological sectors.

Ebn-e-Reza said Iran’s defense industry has achieved indigenous capabilities in numerous fields, adding that part of this progress is due to the work of women whose names may be less widely known but whose contributions have left their mark across the industry.

“If yesterday, during the days of war, our challenge was to preserve defense capabilities and maintain production, today our mission is to build new technologies, develop deterrence power and move at the frontiers of knowledge,” he said.