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Iran captured a US RQ-170 Sentinel stealth surveillance drone largely intact (2011)

A U.S. Air Force report records Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta confirming that a U.S. RQ-170 drone had gone missing in Iran and that President Obama requested its return. The report does not establish the aircraft's condition after the loss (U.S. Air Force report).

Occurred 2011-12-04 · SMSS (Squad Mission Support System) at Fort Benning, Georgia, USA · Lockheed Martin · Fort Benning, Georgia, USA

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Track Iran captured a US RQ-170 Sentinel stealth surveillance drone largely intact (2011)

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Sources (2)

  1. Wikipedia · https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93U.S._RQ-170_incident
  2. https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/111985/panetta-defends-intelligence-operations/

Common questions

What happened in Iran captured a US RQ-170 Sentinel stealth surveillance drone largely intact (2011)?
A U.S. Air Force report records Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta confirming that a U.S. RQ-170 drone had gone missing in Iran and that President Obama requested its return. The report does not establish the aircraft's condition after the loss ([U.S. Air Force report](https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/111985/panetta-defends-intelligence-operations/)).
When did this incident occur?
The incident is recorded as occurring on December 4, 2011 on the DEPLOY registry. The date reflects the underlying real-world event, not the registry record's creation date.
What robot was involved in Iran captured a US RQ-170 Sentinel stealth surveillance drone largely intact (2011)?
SMSS (Squad Mission Support System) by Lockheed Martin is the recorded robot involved in this incident at Fort Benning, Georgia, USA.
Has anyone responded to Iran captured a US RQ-170 Sentinel stealth surveillance drone largely intact (2011)?
No responses to this incident are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Operators, manufacturers, or affected parties can submit responses to the editorial team; absence is not a guarantee no response was issued.
What is the current status of Iran captured a US RQ-170 Sentinel stealth surveillance drone largely intact (2011)?
This incident is an active record on the DEPLOY registry; no retraction or correction has been issued.
Methodology: Verified · 2 sources (1 primary) · last reviewed 2026-09-29

Verification posture

Verified

High confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-09-29

Sources by quality tier

1
knowledge-base
Knowledge base
1
primary-government-record
Government record

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Iran captured a US RQ-170 Sentinel stealth surveillance drone largely intact (2011).

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Canonical ID cf993706-21c7-4cd9-8e5b-03f4cff82ca5