Click to see full-size image. (naya_foriraq/Telegram)
What appears to be an interceptor drone crashed near the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on June 27, in an unusual security incident.
An Iraqi security source told Shafaq that the drone crashed in the Nahrawan district, a few kilometers to the east of Baghdad.
“A specialized security force cordoned off the scene, recovered the aircraft, and moved it to a safe location, while authorities launched an extensive investigation to determine its ownership and the party responsible for launching it,” the Iraqi news website quoted the source as saying.
A photo from the scene of the incident surfaced online later revealing that the relatively small drone has a typical interceptor design, with an aerodynamic, missile-like central fuselage stabilized by four high-speed engines mounted on an X-shaped wing configuration.
The drone, made out of some type of polymer, also appeared to be equipped with a first-person view (FPV) camera or thermal imager in its nose, allowing for optical guidance.
The source who spoke to Shafaq noted that the drone was not loaded with explosives. This indicates that it was designed to take down other drones solely using its kinetic energy. This concept, known as “hit-to-kill,” is very common in such small interceptors.
The overall size and design of the interceptor drone completely rule out the possibility that it was meant for use against any type of manned aircraft, or even larger combat drones.
It is very possible that the interceptor drone was launched by United States forces based at Bahghdad’s highly-secured Green Zone, where the American embassy complex is located. The embassy was hit by drones launched by Iran-aligned armed factions in Iraq more than once during the war with Iran, and the U.S. has been working to boost its defenses there since then.
And while such interceptor drones were not seen with armed factions in Iraq in the past, it is possible that they are currently experimenting with the concept.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of these factions, used fiber-optic-guided FPV suicide quadcopters against U.S. forces during the last confrontation, which shows that the Iraqis have a very mature drone program. Developing interceptor drones would be a logical next step.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com
a mysterious hebrew peniz derped jizz in my americunt anuz yesterday—ol’ incel clyde happy