A US Air Force (USAF) F-15 fighter shot down an Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) drone on Wednesday (28) in northern Iraq. The slaughter followed a series of Iranian attacks on Kurdish troops in the country. 

According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), which operates in the Middle East, the jet shot down a Mohajer-6 drone at around 14:10 pm (local time). The unmanned aircraft was flying towards Erbil airport, where US military personnel are based. CENTCOM alleges that the drone appeared to be a threat to forces in the area.

Manufactured by Qods Aviation Industry, the Mohajer-6 is a drone most used in surveillance and reconnaissance activities, but also has between four and six stations for the use of missiles. The model has already been exported to Venezuela and Ethiopia, but it became more famous recently when it was used by Russia in its campaign against Ukraine. 

Still in the morning the IRGC launched multiple missiles against Erbil. The attack killed nine people, including innocent civilians. The Iranians targeted groups of troops from Kurdistan, seen as terrorists by Tehran.

CENTCOM condemned the "unprovoked" attacks, saying such actions “threaten innocent civilians and jeopardize the region’s hard-fought stability.”

The US did not specify the model of the F-15 (Eagle or Strike Eagle) or exactly how the drone was shot down. It is possible that the F-15 used an AIM-120 AMRAAM missile guided by active radar, since unmanned aircraft similar to the Mohajer tend to have a low thermal signature, which makes it difficult to use a Sidewinder missile, which is cheaper and is guided by heat. Another possibility is the use of the 61mm M20 Vulcan rotary cannon. 

With information CNN, CENTCOM