TEHRAN- An Iranian Army drone was successful in keeping an American vessel under surveillance in the Indian Ocean for around 24 hours, Fars News reported on Tuesday.

The Ababil (Flock of Birds)-V drone successfully conducted the surveillance operation on an American Arleigh Burke-class warship in the northern part of the body of water on Tuesday.

Before beginning the operation, UAV is said to have taken off from a base on the southern Iranian island of Jask.

The Ababil-class unmanned aerial vehicle’s body could absorb radar signals, making it difficult for reconnaissance equipment to identify it.

The aircraft is capable of transporting up to six surgical strike missiles with high-explosive warheads.

The Ababil-5 is one of the aircraft presently being deployed by the Army as part of a nationwide drone practice. Hundreds of advanced reconnaissance and combat drones are participating in the drills.

This is not the first time Iranian drones have captured precise photographs and films of American military forces at sea.

The Iranian Army utilized a new domestically-made drone called Kaman-19 in a military exercise taking place across the country beginning on Tuesday.

General Alireza Sheikh, the spokesman for the drill, stated that the Kaman-19 drone has conducted combat sorties for the first time, after joining the war games. The high-technology drone has so far been involved in electronic warfare and aerial radar jamming operations.

The purpose of the exercise is to promote “peace and friendship” among regional countries, the spokesman added, emphasizing the importance of unity and joint action for security without the presence of external forces.

Earlier, commander of the war game Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari confirmed the drill is taking place across the country from the waters of the Persian Gulf to Iran’s northern regions.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) of Iran revealed remarkably precise and extremely close footage of an American aircraft carrier obtained by the elite force’s drones during an overflight of the vessel in the Persian Gulf in April 2021.

The footage, which was presumably captured by a four-strong drone squadron, gave real-time and highly precise details of every warplane, as well as other military aircraft and equipment that had been placed on the carrier’s deck.

General Kenneth McKenzie, chief of the U.S. Central Command at the time, testified before the U.S. Congress that Iran’s extensive deployment of drones meant the U.S. was operating without total air dominance for the first time since the Korean War.

In 2019, Iranian media outlets published high-quality, close-up footage of a Corps Ababil-III surveillance drone hovering above the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf.