A $1.5 Million U.S. Army Drone Is Missing

Photo Credit: Sgt. Alexander K. Neely/Army

Army Times: Army drone goes missing in Arizona

An unmanned aircraft launched Tuesday from Fort Huachuca, Arizona, lost connectivity and hasn't been found, Army officials said Friday.

Soldiers from the 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion -- which is part of 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division -- visiting from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, launched the RQ-7Bv2 Shadow on Tuesday evening, the release said. The aircraft took off from the Hubbard Landing Zone on Fort Huachuca's East Range before losing communication.

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Update #1: $1.5 Million Drone Lost During Training Mission at Fort Huachuca (Military.com/The Arizona Daily Star)
Update #2: Fort Huachuca missing $1.5 million drone (AP)

WNU Editor: No GPS system?!?!?

Drone Crash Pilot Quotes Unveiled

A drone crashed in Iraq on August 1, 2008. (Department of Defense)

‘Stop Saying ‘Uh-Oh’ While You’re Flying’: Drone Crash Pilot Quotes Unveiled -- Washington Post

Drones are often called unmanned aircraft. But there is a lot of human drama when they crash. Drone pilots and other crew members swear, scream and yell at their remote-control video screens when the aircraft fly out of control. Those moments are often captured by audio recorders in ground control stations. Here’s a sampling of that dialogue, according to transcripts contained in Air Force accident investigation reports:

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My Comment: Costly .... but hilarious.

There Has Been 418 US Military Drones Crashes Since 2001

When Drones Fall From The Sky -- Washington Post

More than 400 large U.S. military drones have crashed in major accidents around the world since 2001, a record of calamity that exposes the potential dangers of throwing open American skies to drone traffic, according to a year-long Washington Post investigation.

Since the outbreak of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, military drones have malfunctioned in myriad ways, plummeting from the sky because of mechanical breakdowns, human error, bad weather and other reasons, according to more than 50,000 pages of accident investigation reports and other records obtained by The Post under the Freedom of Information Act.

Commercial drone flights are set to become a widespread reality in the United States, starting next year, under a 2012 law passed by Congress. Drone flights by law enforcement agencies and the military, which already occur on a limited basis, are projected to surge.

The documents obtained by The Post detail scores of previously unreported crashes involving remotely controlled aircraft, challenging the federal government’s assurances that drones will be able to fly safely over populated areas and in the same airspace as passenger planes.

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More News On U.S. Drone Crashes

Crashes Mount As Military Flies More Drone in U.S. -- Washington Post
More than 400 US military drones crashed in past 13 years, report says -- The Guardian
418 US military drones crashed since 2001, report reveals -- FOX News
US 'lost more than 400 drones in crashes' -- Al Jazeera
Pentagon crashed more than 400 military drones -- RT
Drones seconds from disaster: The catasrophes narrowly avoided in 400 US drone crashes around the world -- Daily Mail
What you need to know about drone accidents -- Robert Weller, Digital Journal

Pentagon Will Not Provide The Number Of Drone Crashes It Has Experienced

US drone crashes in Ghazni. Pajhwok Afghan News

Pentagon Unable To Provide Records On Drone Crashes -- RT

Reporters seeking information on US drone safety and crash data were told by Defense Department officials that multiple searches have turned up nothing, indicating the Pentagon is either refusing to turn over records or it has failed to collect them.

The Defense Department (DoD) provided a report to Congress in January that promised to address the challenges faced by unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The department not only oversees the military drones that buzz over the tribal regions of Pakistan and Yemen, but also test by the National Guard and other agencies that fly over the continental US.

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My Comment: I suspect that the Pentagon knows the number .... but it is probably classified "Top Secret".

Drone Crashes Into U.S. Navy Guided Missile Cruiser (Photos)

The incident occurred at about 1:25 p.m. Saturday as the crew of the guided missile cruiser was conducting a radar tracking exercise during routine training off the Southern California coast, according to U.S. Third Fleet Deputy Public Affairs Officer Lt. Lenaya Rotklein. FOX News San Diego

Ship Hit By Errant Drone Returns To San Diego -- L.A. Times

The guided-missile cruiser struck by an aerial-target drone during a training exercise off Ventura County returned to San Diego on Sunday for assessment and repair, officials said.

The Chancellorsville was struck on its port side by an BQM-74 series drone. Two sailors suffered burns.

The ship returned to San Diego under its own power. It had set sail Tuesday and was scheduled to be at sea another seven days, officials said.

Navy specialists are examining the extent of damage to the ship. Other technicians are investigating the possible cause of the drone malfunction.

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More News On An Errant Drone Crashing

Navy cruiser back in port for investigation after drone hits ship during training -- FOX News/AP
'They're trying to figure out what happened': Malfunctioning drone hits Navy ship -- NBC News
2 injured when drone malfunctions, crashes into Navy ship -- CNN
Drone hits ship during exercise, 2 injured -- UPI
Drone malfunctions, hits U.S. Navy ship during training -- Reuters
Two U.S. sailors hurt when drone crashes into ship -- Washington Times
USS Chancellorsville, struck by drone, returns to port -- Christian Science Monitor
Drone crashes into Navy ship injuring 2 in California -- RT
Malfunctioning drone strikes Navy ship -- Al Jazeera
A Drone Hit a Guided Missile Cruiser During a Weapons System Test -- Gizmodo

Update: Pictures/video of where the drone struck the US Navy ship can be seen here.

For The U.S. Air Force There Has Been 129 Drone Accidents Over 15 Years

First MQ-9 Reaper at Creech AFB 2007. Wikipedia

MQ-9 Reaper Drones Among Most Accident-Prone In Air Force -- Mark Weiner, Syracuse.com

WASHINGTON -- Today's crash of an MQ-9 Reaper drone into Lake Ontario will likely stir more debate among activists who point out that the unmanned planes are among the most accident prone in the U.S. Air Force.

A 2012 investigation by Bloomberg News found the Air Force had 129 accidents over 15 years involving its Reaper, MQ-1 Predator and RQ-4 Global Hawk drones, the biggest drones in the Air Force.

The drones had a combined 9.31 accidents for every 100,000 hours of flying, compared to a fleet-wide average of 3.03 for the full Air Force, according to military data cited by Bloomberg.

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My Comment: 129 accidents over 15 years .... I though the number was higher.

U.S. Air National Guard Drone Crash Into Lake Ontario During Training Mission

Air National Guard Drone Crashes Into Lake Ontario, Military Says -- NBC

An unarmed Air National Guard drone crashed into Lake Ontario during a training exercise Tuesday, the military said.

The MQ-9 Reaper took off from Wheeler Sack Army Airfield at Fort Drum, N.Y., as part of a mission training pilots for the Air Force, Air National Guard Col. Greg Semmel said at a news conference Tuesday evening. The crash occurred about 1 p.m. local time in eastern Lake Ontario about 20 miles northeast of Oswego, N.Y., he said.

The drone was attached to the New York Air National Guard’s 174th Fighter Wing – the first fighter squadron to be converted from piloted F-16s to an all-drone force.

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More News On Yesterday's Air National Guard Drone Crash

Unmanned Reaper drone crashes into Lake Ontario during training mission -- Syracuse.com
Military drone crashes into NY lake during training mission -- FOX News/AP
Military drones grounded in Central New York following crash in Lake Ontario -- Syracuse.com
Reaper Drone Crashes into Lake Ontario Near Oswego, New York -- Epoch Times