An MQ-1C unmanned combat air vehicle appears in surprisingly good condition after the purported drone crash in Iraq
By
Jacob Steinblatt
on
Jul 21, 2015 at 11:28 AM
The MQ-1C unmanned combat air vehicle, designed as an upgrade to the
US military’s infamous MQ-1 Predator, costs over $21 million, and can be
outfitted to carry hellfire air-to-ground missiles.
Images that purported to be uploaded from Iraq by several Twitter
accounts with the hashtag #Samawah showed the crashed drone in
surprisingly good condition, with the system’s rear propellers being the
only part suffering noticeable damage. One of the UAV’s fuel tanks even
remained attached to the right wing. Additional pictures show about a
dozen men, including two in what appear to be police uniform, milling
around the drone crash site.
As the drone crashed far south of Baghdad, in government-held
territory, it remains unlikely that it will ever make it’s way into
ISIS’s hands. Other authorities acting in the region, however, could
benefit from the drone crash. An Iranian drone first revealed in 2014,
for example, was modeled after an advanced CIA drone that crashed in its
territory in 2011.
According to the Washington Post, over 400 large U.S. military drones
have crashed around the world since 2001 due to a variety of reasons
including mechanical failures, pilot error, poor weather conditions, and
more. A U.S. drone similarly crashed in southern Iraq in late May, though it was reportedly recovered.
| Type: | General Atomics MQ-1C Grey Eagle |
| Owner/operator: | United States Air Force (USAF) |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 |
| Airplane damage: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | near Samawah -
 Iraq
|
Narrative:
The drone obviously crashed due to a technical malfunction.
Sources:
