Tensions between the United States and Iran are heating up. Even as officials from both sides are expected to meet on Friday (February 6) over Iran’s nuclear programme and other issues, Tehran deployed a drone towards a US aircraft carrier transiting the Arabian Sea. In turn, the American military shot it down.
According to the US military, on Tuesday (February 3), Iran’s Shahed-130 drone “aggressively approached” the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, which was transiting the Arabian Sea about 500 miles from Iran’s southern coast. In turn, the US warship deployed an F-35C fighter jet to shoot down the drone.
The approach by the Iranian drone risks antagonising US President Donald Trump, who has been weighing taking military action against Iran.
The move highlights the military might of the
USS Abraham Lincoln, which the US Navy describes as “the largest warships in the world.”
US downs Iranian drone
Describing the events that unfolded on Tuesday, Captain Tim Hawkins, a US Central Command spokesman, stated that its forces
shot down an Iranian drone “as the unmanned aircraft aggressively approached” the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, which was transiting the Arabian Sea about 500 miles from Iran’s southern coast.
“The Iranian drone continued to fly toward the ship despite de-escalatory measures taken by US forces operating in international waters,” Hawkins said. An F-35C fighter jet from the Lincoln shot down the drone to protect the carrier and its personnel, he added.
“No American service members were harmed during the incident, and no US equipment was damaged,” Hawkins further noted.
Iranian media, Tasnim News Agency, also confirmed that Iran lost contact with an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) drone while it was on a “reconnaissance, surveillance, and filming” mission over international waters of the Arabian Sea.
The Iranian media further reported that the drone had “successfully transmitted its surveillance and reconnaissance footage” to its operators before it was lost. “The reason for this loss of contact is being investigated, and details will be announced once it is confirmed.”
The drone incident was followed by two Iranian gunboats approaching the M/V Stena Imperative — a chemical tanker operated by Americans flying under the US flag in the Strait of Hormuz. According to Hawkins, the Iranians threatened to board and seize it. This resulted in the US military forces responding.
On board the USS Abraham Lincoln
Tuesday’s incidents have spiked interest about the US aircraft carrier, which has been named after the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.
Defence analysts call the USS Abraham Lincoln a symbol of American resolve and technological prowess. As one report by Gulf News states, the USS Abraham Lincoln isn’t just a ship: it is a floating city of war, a tech marvel, and a symbol of American naval dominance.
A nuclear-powered aircraft carrier commissioned in 1989, part of the Nimitz class, the USS Abraham Lincoln has formed the backbone of the US carrier aviation for half a century. It is more than 1,000 feet long, which makes it longer than the Empire State Building, and it weighs over 100,000 tonnes.
And unlike conventional ships, it doesn’t refuel every few weeks or months. It can sail for 20 to 25 years before its reactors need new fuel.
However, the true power of the USS Abraham Lincoln comes from the military equipment it carries — fighter jets, advanced weapon systems, early warning aircraft, and a crew of over 5,630 sailors.
According to the Associated Press, the US aircraft carrier supports up to 90 aircraft that can strike both airborne and shoreline targets. Its squadrons include the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet and the F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets. Notably, it was an F-35 jet that downed the Iranian drone that approached it on Tuesday.
Apart from the aircraft, the aircraft carrier also carries Hornet fighter bombers, a logistical support aircraft, as well as SH-60 Seahawk attack helicopters.
The USS Abraham Lincoln is also equipped with several types of missiles, including the Nato Sea Sparrow, an anti-missile and aircraft weapon system. It also has the Phalanx/CIWS, a rapid-fire, computer-controlled, radar-guided gun, and the RAM missile system, a supersonic, light-weight, fire-and-forget weapon.
The American aircraft carrier also includes other weapons such as the AN/SLQ-25A Nixie, a decoy system that emits sounds to trick underwater torpedoes from following a ship.
The USS Abraham Lincoln also possesses different types of radar systems that help it detect and track nearby threats, monitor air traffic control, and shoot and guide missiles.
What makes the USS Abraham Lincoln even more formidable is the fleet of ships that surrounds it, including destroyers, cruisers, and submarines.
Deployed in foreign, murky waters
The USS Abraham Lincoln has been deployed in various missions, the most notable of them being Operation Desert Storm in 1991. In 2019-2020, it endured a 295-day stint amid Iran tensions. And more recently, in 2024, it struck
Houthi targets in Yemen and deterred Iranian aggression in West Asia.
Earlier this January, the US announced that the
USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group was heading to the West Asian region as tensions between Tehran and Washington escalated. At the time, concerns arose that the US would launch an assault on the Islamic Republic.
In fact, since last month, there has been a slow, steady, and significant build-up of US military forces in the region.
It’s left to be seen what happens after Tuesday’s incident — will Trump resort to using force. For now, the White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt noted that the meeting between America and Iran is “still scheduled as of right now, but of course the president always has a range of options on the table, and that includes the use of military force”.
With inputs from agencies
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