Forces of the Libyan National Army (LNA) shot down what appears to be either a Predator or Reaper drone. The downing occurred August 22 near Bengazi. The drone was brought down with a man-portable surface-to-air missile system (MANPAD).
According to an official by LNA’s Major General Khaled via his affiliated Facebook account, when translated explains that;
“The air defense media of the General Command targeted an unidentified filming drone that entered the skies of Benghazi near Al-Rajma and the Benina base and brought it down.”
Subsequent footage released shows what appears to be the drone burning and slowly falling to the ground after being hit by a surface-to-air missile.
Although, the downed drone was burnt beyond recognition on impact, therefore, it may likely be a Chinese Wing Loong, CH-5, or Ch-4 UAV since they all appear similar. However, the landing gear mechanism and engine housing appear very similar to those of the MQ-9 Reaper UAV.
Current MQ-9 Reaper operators are France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, United States. Any of these NATO countries may have been carrying out surveillance of LNA or Russia’s Wagner groups’ activities in the area without prior authorization from the Libyan government.
Amelia Smith, a US-based defense analyst, told the EurAsian Times that
“the debris can be matched with the MQ-9A by examining the pieces of landing gear strewn around. One piece, in particular, is a wheel and tire, right next to a strut that matches the rear landing gear on an MQ-9.”
“Four propeller blades can be identified upon examination and analyzing photos and videos from multiple angles at the crash site. The MQ-9A Extended Range has four blades, a unique feature of that variant. As far as I am aware, the only country that operates the MQ-9A Extended Range is the United States,”
she added.
Reports indicated that the drone is associated with the US Air Force, frequently conducting its flights into Libya from the Sigonella Air station in Italy.
The drone in question could belong to the US Air Force’s 324th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, stationed at Sigonella Air base in Italy.
U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) Commander Army Gen. Stephen Townsend told the House Armed Services Committee that while the Air Force’s needed to have assets for a high-end fight, “the lower-end stuff works really well for us in AFRICOM and CENTCOM.”
Will Roper, Air Forces’ acquisition boss told the members of the House Armed Services tactical air and land forces subcommittee on March 10 that although the Reaper has been a great platform for the United States, however,
“we just can’t take them into the battlefield. They’re easily shot down, Especially now that the US is looking towards “high-end fights. There are things that are more high-end, military-unique things that are meant to be able to survive even in a contested environment. Obviously a lot of technology will have to go in and they’ll be likely expensive systems.”
Additionally, Sixteenth Air Force commander Lt. Gen. Timothy Haugh, who oversees ISR forces, noted that ISR assets are still in high demand, and different commanders around the world need that surveillance capability more than others.
In 2019, anQ-9A Predator B unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) belonging to the Italian Air Force crashed on November 20 over the town of Tarhunah in western Libya.
Few days later, a United States military MQ-1C Gray Eagle drone operating under the banner of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) crashed in Agadez, Niger on 29 February.
The MQ-1C Gray Eagle drone was lost after suffering a mechanical failure, according to a March 2 statement by AFRICOM
Sources: Eurasian Times; Military Africa