BAMAKO, MALI — An American-made MQ-9 Reaper combat UAV has crashed in West Africa. This happened on February 18 this year. Officially, the information has not yet been confirmed, but a Telegram account reported the incident. He refers to the remains of the drone, which is believed to be an MQ-9.
The drone crashed in territory controlled by the Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam Wal-Muslimeen group. This group is linked to the declared terrorist organization al-Qaeda. According to the author of the post in Telegram, the place where the drone crashed is 200 km from Timbuktu. The author does not mention the exact location of the incident.
The author claims that al-Qaeda-linked fighters took the remains of the drone. Residents, however, managed to take pictures before parting with the remains. The photos show components and parts from two American companies – General Atomics and L3 Communications. The surviving remains of the landing gear also closely resemble that of the MQ-9.
At the moment, no country operating this drone has announced its absence. France, which still has a military presence in the region, operates the MQ-9. The French are particularly active in using their American drone in the Sahel region.
About MQ-9 UCAV
MQ-9 is an unmanned combat aerial vehicle [UCAV] designed and produced by the US company General Atamocis. This drone is already 22 years old since its first flight was recorded in 2001.
The Reaper has a wingspan of 65 ft 7 in [20 m]. It can take off with a maximum weight of 10,494 lb [4,760 kg]. In this regard, the payload it carries is equal to 3,800 lb [1,700 kg]. The MQ-9 is powered by a single Honeywell TPE331-10 turboprop engine. It guarantees at least a power of 900 hp [671 kW] with Digital Electronic Engine Control [DEEC].
The American drone has seven points for carrying weapons. They can accept armament up to 1,500 lb [680 kg] on the two inboard weapons stations, armament up to 750 lb [340 kg] on the two middle stations, and armament up to 150 lb [68 kg] on the outboard stations. The drone is capable of carrying up to four AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles.
The MQ-9’s avionics are impressive. It consists of one AN/DAS-1 MTS-B Multi-Spectral Targeting System, one AN/APY-8 Lynx II radar, and one Raytheon SeaVue Marine Search Radar [Guardian variants].
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