A U.S. Air Pressure MQ-9 Reaper is inspected by a floor crew member at Rafael Hernandez Airport in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, Nov. 17. Reuters-Yonhap
A U.S. Air Pressure unit primarily based in South Korea stated Sunday it has accomplished the restoration operations of a MQ-9 drone that crashed off the nation’s west coast final month.
The drone, also referred to as the Reaper, crashed close to Maldo-ri Island off the western metropolis of Gunsan, about 180 kilometers south of Seoul, on Nov. 24, with no accidents reported. An investigation into the reason for the incident is beneath method.
“Following an intensive and collaborative effort, the restoration operation has now been efficiently accomplished,” the eighth Fighter Wing informed Yonhap Information Company, in response to a question on follow-up measures.
The U.S. Air Pressure had carried out the operation in cooperation with the South Korean Navy, the Coast Guard and the Military.
“The mixed experience and sources of our two militaries had been important to the success of this operation,” it stated, thanking the South Korean army for the “sturdy partnership.”
The U.S. Air Pressure unit didn’t elaborate on whether or not it plans to deploy one other MQ-9 to fill a possible reconnaissance hole attributable to the crash, however stated it stays dedicated to making sure mission necessities.
“Our precedence stays the security and effectiveness of our operations. We’re constantly evaluating our operational posture and useful resource allocation to make sure mission necessities are met,” it stated.
The crashed drone was among the many fleet of MQ-9 drones that had been assigned to the 431st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron on the U.S. air base in Gunsan, launched in late September. It marked the primary time such a squadron was activated on the Korean Peninsula following earlier rotational deployments.
The MQ-9 is designed for each surveillance and assault missions and is able to long-distance flight. As soon as deployed, it’s believed to be able to conducting surveillance on North Korea and monitoring China’s actions within the West Sea.
