Iran announced it will reverse engineering on the US spy drone downed by its military, and is in the “final stages” of unlocking the aircraft’s software secrets

The Islamic Republic announced it will reverse engineering on the US spy drone downed by its military, and is in the “final stages” of unlocking the aircraft's software secrets, the head of Iran’s Parliamentary National Security Committee Parviz Sorouri said on Monday.

According to the website of Iranian state television, Sorouri said that “in the near future, we will be able to mass produce it... Iranian engineers will soon build an aircraft superior to the American [drone] using reverse-engineering.”

Sorouri said “we are in the final stages of cracking [the drone's] code.”

He indicated that “we will acquire valuable intelligence through deciphering the Americans' covert intelligence and espionage methods once the code is cracked,” but added he could not say when the software would be finally unlocked.