Apparently, an Iranian drone came within 100 feet of a Navy F-18 Hornet that was in a holding pattern waiting to land on the USS Nimitz causing it to take evasive action. The question that comes to mind is how did the Navy not see this drone near the carrier and shoot it down?
The “QOM-1” drone came within 100 feet below the aircraft and 200 feet to the side of the aircraft. The F/A-18 was in a landing pattern several thousand feet off the deck of the ship waiting to land.
The F/A-18 maneuvered repeatedly to avoid the drone officials said and it did not appear to be armed. The officials said the drone encounter was considered “unsafe and unprofessional.” The US used an emergency radio frequency in the immediate area to warn those operating the drone to back away. It did eventually move off.
The Navy said the US jet “had an unsafe and unprofessional interaction with an Iranian QOM-1 unmanned aerial vehicle,” adding that “despite repeated radio calls to stay clear of active fixed-wing flight operations,” the Iranian drone “executed unsafe and unprofessional altitude changes in the close vicinity of an F/A-18E.”
“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,” the statement said. – CNN
Featured image of a U.S. Navy McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C Hornet (BuNo 165200) from strike fighter squadron VFA-86 Sidewinders launches from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class John Philip Wagner Jr. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
