USAFRICOM confirms Gray Eagle crash
US Africa Command (USAFRICOM) has confirmed that one of its MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAVs crashed near Agadez, Niger on 29 February.
The incident was confirmed by the organisation in a tweet on 2 March: ‘US Africa Command lost one remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) in vicinity of Agadez, Niger. Our initial and current assessment is that the RPA was lost due to mechanical failure.’
In images circulated on unverified social media accounts, local residents posed with the wreckage. At least one Hellfire missile, which survived the incident, was also pictured.
The US has an air base on the outskirts of Agadez, from where it operates UAVs for ISR missions in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel.
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