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Iran Unlikely to Learn Much from Recovered U.S. Intelligence Drone
(Air Force Magazine) Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory and Rachel S. Cohen - Even though Iran claims to have recovered portions of the U.S. Navy drone it shot down over the Strait of Hormuz on June 19, it's unlikely the country will be able to gather much U.S. military technical intelligence from the aircraft. Lt.-Gen. (ret.) David Deptula said "parts and pieces" that have appeared on television in the wake of the attack "are pretty mangled and destroyed." Deptula added that while Iran's SAM capability was well known before the attack, what wasn't known was "that they would violate the rules of international governance by shooting down an unarmed aircraft in international airspace. The presumption of being able to operate in permissible airspace is one that was legitimate over the last quarter of a century, but this shootdown demonstrates the consequences of operating against even second-rate military powers."