18 Jul 19. Statement From Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman on USS Boxer. Statement from Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman on USS Boxer: At approximately 10 a.m. local time, the amphibious ship USS Boxer was in international waters conducting a planned inbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz. A fixed wing unmanned aerial system (UAS) approached Boxer and closed within a threatening range. The ship took defensive action against the UAS to ensure the safety of the ship and its crew. (Source: US DoD)
18 Jul 19. Iran – Strait of Hormuz: US Navy Destroyer employs electronic warfare system to down Iranian military drone. At approximately 0530Z on 18 July, the USS Boxer US Navy Destroyer reportedly employed its on-board electronic warfare (EW) system to down Iranian military drone via electromagnetic interference (EMI) operating in-flight over airspace near the Strait of Hormuz. The US has indicated that the Iranian drone was downed at a range of approximately 0.6 miles (1km) after ignoring multiple calls to stand down threatening the safety of the USS Boxer and its crew. Background information regarding Iran from the US FAA and an associated NOTAM for FIR Tehran (OIIX) remains valid through 9 September (KICZ A0016/18). The NOTAM indicates that there remains a continued ‘risk’ to US civil aviation operations over FIR Tehran (OIIX) due to a lack of deconfliction between military activities in Iran and civilian flights. The US FAA background information highlights the following as concerns in the airspace over Iran: unannounced military activities, GPS interference, EMI activity, heightened Iranian air defence ‘sensitivity’, Russian air and naval cruise missile strikes into Syria along with Iranian military ballistic missile launches. Regional tensions have significantly escalated in wake of the 20 June US drone shoot-down by Iran coupled with the US downing of the Iranian drone on 18 July, though the situation remains fluid and subject to change. EMI and/or GPS interference and from military activity represents a notable civil aviation safety-of-flight concern. Extended duration re-routing of civil aviation to airports in the country, within Iranian airspace or over the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman remains an increasingly likely scenario in the near-term.
Analysis
On 21 June, the US FAA issued an updated NOTAM for Iranian airspace (FIR Tehran (OIIX)) covering the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman which prohibits US civil aviation operators from conducting flight operations over these areas at all altitudes until further notice (KICZ A0019/19). The NOTAM follows the downing of a US military RQ-4A drone over the Gulf of Oman via Iranian conventional surface-to-air missile (SAM) system engagement on 20 June and the attempted shoot-down of a US military MQ-9 drone over the Gulf of Oman by Iran via unsuccessful manportable air defence system (MANPADS) engagement on 13 June. The assessed Iranian use of a conventional SAM system capable at altitudes well above FL260 and MANPADS capable below FL260 to engage US military drones in-flight over the Gulf of Oman coupled with US EW system employment to down an Iranian military drone via EMI over the Strait of Homuz is highly concerning as the airspace in the vicinity of these areas of FIR Tehran (OIIX) includes numerous high-traffic ATS routes used by civil aviation operators. There remains a significantly increased likelihood of additional short-notice near-term airspace restrictions; similar to the US FAA NOTAMs above, being enacted for Iranian airspace within FIR Tehran (OIIX) portions of the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and/or Gulf of Oman by EASA along with the UK, French and/or German civil aviation authorities. We continue to assess southern Iran, to include over-water areas of the Persian Gulf, Strait of Homuz and the Gulf of Oman, to be a HIGH risk airspace operating environment at all altitudes; this is being kept under constant review. We continue to assess the remainder of northern Iran to be a MODERATE risk airspace operating environment above FL260 and HIGH risk below FL260.
Risk area recommendation: Comprehensive risk mitigation measures
- Flights below FL260 not advised; essential flights over FL260 via measures below
- Defer diverting from flight plan with the exception of life threatening situations
- Security and operational risk-based identification of pre-planned divert airports
- Reliable and redundant communications with an established communications plan
- Fully-coordinated and robust emergency response plan supplemented by asset tracking
Advice
Approvals: As a precaution, conduct operational risk-based identification of divert and alternate airports for flight schedules with planned stops at aerodromes in the country or with overflight of the airspace. Operators are advised to ensure flight plans are correctly filed, attain proper special approvals for flight operations to sensitive locations and obtain relevant overflight permits prior to departure. In addition, ensure crews scheduled to operate to or over the country in the near term are fully aware of the latest security situation.
Military Air Activity: Increased military air operations have the potential to cause airspace congestion and impact the safety of civil aviation flights. Any significant increase in the amount of air operations over the country may impact the availability of airports along with access to the airspace. Aviation operators should monitor airport/airspace-specific airspace-specific notices, bulletins, circulars, advisories, prohibitions and restrictions prior to departure to avoid flight schedule disruption.
Shoot-down Policy: The country has an aggressive air intercept and shoot-down policy which allows air and air defence forces to intercept and disable aerial targets violating airspace regulations. Military air and air defence assets may be employed to down aerial targets under the auspice of the policy. While legal civil aviation flights are unlikely to be directly targeted, there remains a latent but credible risk of misidentification and interception by military air and air defence assets. (Source: Osprey)