The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group transits the Strait of Hormuz, Nov. 26, 2023. An Iranian drone came within 1,500 yards of the aircraft carrier as it conducted flight operations in the international waters of the Persian Gulf on Nov. 28. (Merissa Daley/U.S. Navy)
An Iranian drone violated safety protocols and endangered U.S. service members when it flew within 1,500 yards of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower while the aircraft carrier conducted routine flight operations in the Middle East, the Navy said Wednesday.
Eisenhower was transiting international waters in the central Persian Gulf on Tuesday when it detected a drone and visually identified it as Iranian, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet said in a statement.
Iran ignored multiple hails and warnings, the Navy said. No one was injured and no aircraft were damaged during the incident, the statement said.
However, the drone’s appearance so close to the Eisenhower violated a daily notice to airmen, or NOTAM, the Navy said.
That notice “directed all manned and unmanned aircraft to remain greater than 10 nautical miles from the aircraft carrier in order to ensure safety of flight of military and civilian aviation,” Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of NAVCENT, said in the statement.
The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and its strike group transit the Strait of Hormuz, Nov. 26, 2023. An Iranian drone came within 1,500 yards of the carrier while it was conducting flight operations on Nov. 28. (Ruskin Naval/U.S. Navy)
Cooper characterized Iran’s drone flight as “unsafe, unprofessional and irresponsible.”
The Navy didn’t say how long the drone stayed in the vicinity of Eisenhower. It also didn’t indicate if flight operations were disrupted or if the carrier or one of its escorts took actions against the drone.
On Tuesday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps released drone footage it said was taken Sunday as the Eisenhower transited the Strait of Hormuz, the state-controlled Islamic Republic News Agency reported the same day.
The strait is a narrow choke point between the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.
The IRGC, in characterizing the encounter as an “interception,” said U.S. presence in the region was creating tension and insecurity, the Iranian report said.
Iran-linked militia groups have launched dozens of attacks on U.S. land forces in Iraq and Syria since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7.
On Tuesday, Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters that they were looking into reports of a drone near the Eisenhower on Sunday.
The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group arrived in the Middle East on Nov. 4. The group includes the cruiser USS Philippine Sea and the destroyers USS Mason and USS Gravely.
