Iranian Drone Buzzes F/A-18 Super Hornet During Carrier Landing

August 8, 2017

An Iranian QOM-1 drone buzzed a U.S. F/A-18 Super Hornet trying to land aboard the carrier Nimitz Tuesday.

Officials with U.S. Navy Central Command confirmed a dangerous encounter in the Central Arabian Gulf, which forced an American fighter pilot with Strike Fighter Squadron 147 to dodge an unarmed drone while landing.

Lt. Chloe Morgan, a NAVCENT spokeswoman, issued a statement on the incident.

“The F/A-18E maneuvered to avoid collision with the QOM-1, resulting in a lateral separation of approximately 200 feet and a vertical separation of approximately 100 feet,” the officer said, Military.com reported. “The dangerous maneuver by the QOM-1 in the known vicinity of fixed-wing flight operations and at coincident altitude with operating aircraft created a collision hazard and is not in keeping with international maritime customs and laws.”

Tuesday’s drone incident was the 13th unsafe or unprofessional maritime encounter with Iran of 2017, the newspaper reported.