An Iranian Shahed-139 drone was shot down by a U.S. F-35C as it approached the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea.
An Iranian drone was shot down by the U.S. military on Feb. 3, 2026, according to a U.S. official cited by Reuters. The unmanned aircraft, a Shahed-139, was flying towards the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) as it was sailing in the Arabian Sea, prompting the intercept.
The official specified that an F-35 Lightning II was scrambled to intercept the drone, and later shot it down. The USS Lincoln is currently assigned Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9, which includes among its squadrons the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314, flying the F-35C.
The Iranian Shahed-139 drone was flying towards the Lincoln and was shot down by a F-35 U.S. fighter jet. https://t.co/M9t5tWsMjl
— Phil Stewart (@phildstewart) February 3, 2026
Update 21:00 UTC
According to U.S. Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesperson, the unmanned aircraft was “aggressively” approaching the aircraft carrier “with unclear intent.” The Shahed-139 “continued to fly toward the ship despite de-escalatory measures taken by U.S. forces operating in international waters,” with Hawkins further adding that the carrier was sailing about 500 miles from Iran’s southern coast.
It is unclear which de-escalatory measures were used. However, it can be assumed that the F-35s scrambled to intercept the drone could have also been used to attract the attention of the drone’s operators to signal it away from the area, before the order to open fire was issued.
Iranian Shahed-139 was reportedly intercepted by the American F-35. https://t.co/Qrwd1zkoYn pic.twitter.com/RUQx2GXVD7
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) February 3, 2026
After the drone did not deviate from its course, “an F-35C fighter jet from Abraham Lincoln shot down the Iranian drone in self-defense and to protect the aircraft carrier and personnel on board,” confirmed Hawkins.
Details about the shootdown are currently limited, and it is unclear how close the drone came to the ship and if it was carrying weapons. Also, the weapon employed against the drone was not disclosed, although the F-35C can employ the AIM-9X Sidewinder IR-guided short-range air-to-air missile, the AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) and the GPU-8/A 25 mm gun pod.
A #MarineCorps F-35C Lightning II attached to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314 prepares to make an arrested landing on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72).
The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is underway executing routine… pic.twitter.com/PMesJHf8PO
— U.S. Marines (@USMC) January 30, 2026
The incident is not isolated, as few hours later the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps harassed a U.S.-flagged and -crewed merchant vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. “Two IRGC boats and an Iranian Mohajer drone approached M/V Stena Imperative at high speeds and threatened to board and seize the tanker,” Hawkins said.
Six Iranian gunboats armed with .50cal machine guns approached the American-flagged, Danish-owned oil tanker M/T STENA IMPERATIVE earlier today near the Strait of Hormuz in a threatening manner, after the vessel departed the United Arab Emirates bound for the Naval Support… pic.twitter.com/ItavDyZOH8
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) February 3, 2026
The spokesperson further added that the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS McFaul (DDG-74) responded to the incident, escorting the vessel “with defensive air support from the U.S. Air Force.” The M/V Stena Imperative is now proceeding safely away from the area.
Shahed-139
The Shahed-139 is a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle developed by Iran, which presents many visual similarities with the U.S.-made MQ-1 Predator. It features a conventional fuselage, rear-mounted pusher propeller, and straight wings optimized for long-endurance surveillance and strike missions.
Not one, but 2 new Shahed UAVs were unveiled
• Shahed-139 (pic 1-2): New MALE UAV, possibly MQ-1 derived. Similar to Kaman-22 design wise
• Shahed-147 (pic 3): New jet powered HALE UAV. 26 meter wingspan & can fly up to an altitude of 18km. Note SAR radar too pic.twitter.com/hUyGGVPgff
— Iran Defense commentary (unofficial) (@IranDefense) November 19, 2023
Images released by state media have shown the drone of carries an electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor and possibly a small radar. There are no photos of the aircraft carrying weapons, however, considering that the aircraft is a further development of the Shahed-129 armed drone, it is believed that the Shahed-139 might be able to carry a weapon payload of four missiles.
The Shahed 129 is a remotely piloted vehicle based on the Israeli Hermes 450 design, first unveiled in 2012. It is claimed to have an endurance of 24 hours and an operative range up to 2,000 km.
According to Tasnim it was a Shahed 129 and not a Shahed 139 that was shot down today.
“The drone successfully transmitted its surveillance and reconnaissance images to the center, but then lost communication.” https://t.co/lgPxk3zntG pic.twitter.com/SNqzktKjc4
— MenchOsint (@MenchOsint) February 3, 2026
In 2013, an armed variant emerged. The IRGC claimed the drone can carry eight bombs/missiles, although only four were shown in photos. This variant is claimed to have an endurance of 24 hours with a range of 1,700 km and a ceiling of 24,000 feet.
Lincoln CSG
Following the rising tensions after the violent crackdown on protests in Iran, the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) Carrier Strike Group (CSG) has been retasked from operational cruise in the Indo-Pacific to quickly move to the CENTCOM Area of Responsibility (AOR). The CSG arrived in the Middle East in late January, with CENTCOM saying it “is currently deployed to the Middle East to promote regional security and stability.”
Together with the USS Lincoln are Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9, embarked on the carrier, and destroyers USS Frank E. Petersen, Jr. (DDG-121), USS Spruance (DDG-111) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112). CVW 9 consists of eight squadrons flying F-35C Lightning II, F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers, E-2D Hawkeyes, CMV-22B Ospreys and MH-60R/S Sea Hawks.
This is a developing story, we will update the article as more details emerge.
