An armed U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone crashed in a remote area near Bagram Air Field last Tuesday night, military officials have revealed. The $14 million remotely piloted aircraft went down at about 7:10 p.m., according to an Air Force statement issued Wednesday.
“There is no indication of injuries or damage to civilian property as a result of the crash,” the statement said. “The cause of the crash is currently under investigation, but enemy fire was not a factor.”
The aircraft was operated out of Kandahar Air Field, more than 300 miles away in southern Afghanistan, by the 451st Air Expeditionary Group, part of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing, said wing spokesman Capt. Bryan Bouchard.
“The aircraft went down in a remote area away from any civilian population centers and it was a total loss,” Bouchard said. “The munitions on board were also destroyed with the aircraft.” Citing the total destruction of the Reaper, officials decided that it “did not necessitate a physical securing of the site,” he said.
While the aircraft was launched from Kandahar, once airborne it was operated by pilots and sensor operators “from one of several control stations outside Afghanistan,” Bouchard said.
Photo: MQ-9 Reaper on the flight line at Hurlburt Field, Fla., in May 2014 – John Bainter/US Air Force
Source: Stars & Stripes