RQ-170 Sentinel
US stealth reconnaissance drone built by Lockheed Martin.
On 29 October 2026 Iran said its electronic-warfare unit had seized a US Outlaw drone over The Gulf and landed it. The claim echoes Iran's best-known capture, an RQ-170 Sentinel brought down near its eastern border in 2011.
Last refreshed: 29 October 2026
Timeline for RQ-170 Sentinel
Mentioned in: IRGC Navy says mines hit three tankers
Iran Conflict 2026Mentioned in: 136 navigation denial zones in Gulf
Iran Conflict 2026Background
The RQ-170 Sentinel is a stealthy, tailless reconnaissance drone built by Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works. The US Air Force flies it for the CIA, and confirmed its existence in December 2009.
In December 2011 Iran captured one near its eastern border, saying its electronic-warfare units had taken control of it; Washington said the aircraft had malfunctioned. Iran has since built designs based on it, including the Shahed 171 and Saeqeh drones.
Iranian officials have tied the capture to GPS spoofing. Satellite-navigation interference is now routine in The Gulf: on 5 March 2026 Windward counted 44 GPS jamming zones and 92 AIS denial zones across it. The 2011 seizure remains the reference case whenever Tehran says it has taken over a US aircraft in flight.
How did Iran capture the RQ-170 drone?
Did Iran copy the RQ-170 Sentinel?
Who flies the RQ-170 Sentinel?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 29 October 2026. Editorial standards.