IRGC shoots down two intruding advanced drones, cruise missile 

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) air defense units have intercepted and shot down two intruding advanced drones and a cruise missile in the skies over the southern, central and northwestern provinces of Fars, Markazi and Qazvin.

The IRGC Public Relations Department announced on Thursday that a Hermes 900 unmanned aircraft was tracked and destroyed over the southern Iranian city of Shiraz by its sophisticated defense systems which is under the control of Iran's integrated air defense network.

Manufactured by the major Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems, Hermes 900 is a long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle designed for tactical missions, such as reconnaissance and surveillance. The large drone is estimated to cost millions of dollars.

The IRGC added that it also targeted and destroyed an MQ-9 Reaper drone in the airspace of Khomein city in the central part of Iran.

The MQ-9 Reaper is a remotely piloted and medium-altitude drone, operated by a three-person crew from a ground control station.

It originally has an endurance of over 27 hours, flies at the speed of 240 KTAS, can operate up to 50,000 feet, and has a 1,746-kilogram (3,850-pound) payload capacity.

Furthermore, the IRGC's modern air defense systems intercepted and destroyed an American AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) over Buin Zahra County of Qazvin Province.

It said the interception was carried out under the control of the integrated air defense network of Iran.

The AGM-158 JASSM is an autonomous, long-range, conventional, air-to-ground precision standoff for the US Air Force. It is manufactured by the major American weapons and aerospace manufacturer Lockheed Martin.

The number of hostile drones destroyed by the Iranian Armed Forces since the beginning of the imposed war has surpassed 150. Iranian air defense units have also struck a number of intruding fighter jets.

The United States and Israel initiated a large-scale and unprovoked military campaign against Iran on February 28, assassinating Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei and several high-ranking military commanders and civilians.

The aggression has comprised of a series of intensive strikes on both military installations and civilian facilities throughout Iran, leading to considerable loss of life and widespread damage to infrastructure.

In response, Iranian Armed Forces have carried out waves of retaliatory missile and drone operations against US interests across West Asia and Israeli positions in the occupied territories.

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