TEHRAN, IRAN — An Iranian drone nearly collided with a U.S. Navy fighter jet over the Persian Gulf on Tuesday.
The U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet was preparing to land on the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier, the Washington Post reported.
The fighter jet was circling in a holding pattern, when an Iranian QOM-1 drone came within 100 feet below and 200 feet to the side of it, according to CNN.
The pilot of the U.S. jet was forced to make an evasive maneuver to avoid a collision. The Navy made repeated radio warning calls for the drone to keep away that were unanswered.
U.S. forces had 35 hostile interactions with Iranian forces last year, up from 23 in 2015, according to the Pentagon.