The US MQ-9A Reaper is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) primarily used for surveillance and reconnaissance purposes, and is also equipped for armed reconnaissance and close air support.
A US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone that lost contact with its base made an emergency landing in northwestern Poland, the country’s armed forces general command said.
«After 23 hours near Miroslawiec there was an emergency landing of an unmanned aerial vehicle of the US Armed Forces flying in Polish airspace,» the release said.
The landing took place «in accordance with procedures» in a «cordoned off unpopulated area.»
The place where the drone landed is guarded by the relevant services, and the military gendarmerie is conducting proceedings.
Earlier, the Polish military said that an unarmed drone carrying out a training flight from the Miroslawiec airfield had lost contact with the base. The area adjacent to the airfield was cordoned off, and traffic on surrounding roads was stopped.
The MQ-9 Reaper can be armed with Hellfire missiles, 227-kilogram GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bombs, and 227-kilogram GBU-38 satellite-guided bombs. The drone can also be armed with air-to-air missiles.
It is noted that as early as May 2018, several MQ-9 Reapers began regular flights from the Polish Air Force’s 12th Air Base at Miroslawiec, located 250 kilometers from the border with Russia’s Kaliningrad region.
