The $1.5-million drone was found lodged in a tree and missing a wing, according to officials at Fort Huachuca, which sits near Sierra Vista, Arizona. Troops at Huachuca lost track of the aircraft over a week earlier.
Military.com reports that the Army launched an unsuccessful search and recover investigation to locate the 450-pound Shadow drone, concluding that it must have crashed and splintered somewhere nearby.
Troops from Washington state’s Joint Base Lewis-McChord had traveled to Fort Huachuca to train with the drone, which has a 20-foot wingspan and can fly up to nine hours without refueling.
