American MQ-9 Reaper crashes in Syria
An American MQ-9 Reaper drone has crashed in Syria. The incident occurred in a region controlled by the Kurdish-held Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The reasons for the crash remain unclear, but technical malfunctions are likely to be the cause.
Here's What We Know
An American MQ-9 Reaper drone crashed in northern Syria. Video from the scene appeared on social media the night before.
The incident took place in a region controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces. Experts suggest that the drone was not deliberately shot down - it was probably caused by technical malfunctions.
Today, an MQ-9A Reaper drone of the #USAF had a crash landing in #SDF controlled areas in Northern #Syria. According to the images and videos captured by the SDF members, its engine had failed before its crash landing. There is No sign of it getting shot-down by anyone. pic.twitter.com/h0nC6etWpU
- Babak Taghvaee - The Crisis Watch (@BabakTaghvaee1) 9 December 2024
The released footage shows the tail of the drone, which is identical to the MQ-9 Reaper, although there are no insignia. According to preliminary data, the drone was conducting a reconnaissance flight in the region where the authoritarian rule of dictator Bashar al-Assad, supported by Russia and Iran, ended after a rapid offensive by opposition forces.
For those who don't know
The MQ-9 Reaper is a multi-purpose attack drone developed by the American company General Atomics. The MQ-9 is designed to perform reconnaissance, strike and surveillance missions. Equipped with a Honeywell TPE331-10 turboprop engine, the Reaper is capable of reaching speeds of up to 400 km/h and staying in the air for up to 27 hours. The maximum take-off weight is 4,760 kg and the payload is up to 1,700 kg, which allows it to carry precision-guided AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, GBU-12 Paveway II bombs and other weapons. The flight altitude is up to 15,240 metres.
Source: X
