The remotely piloted aircraft was discovered in a field 200 miles east of Adana, Turkey by Turkish police and US Air Force personnel, the 39th Air Base Wing said in a release on Monday. “US Air Force and Turkish personnel are working hand in hand to keep local citizens safe and to recover the aircraft,” Col. Michael Rimsky said in a statement.
— Cemal (@Acemal71) August 21, 2017
No injuries have been reported as a result of the August 18 and August 21 mishaps.
Losing two Predator aircraft could mean “possibly cutting the total number of operational drones the US Air Force has situated at the base in half,” The Drive reports. The accidents might have an immediate impact on operations, as well as feed into increasingly strained US-Turkish relations,” the news outlet.
Both incidents are under investigation.
Adverse weather conditions and issues with overheating on the aircraft have limited the operational efficacy of unmanned aerial vehicles, USAF officials told Defense Tech.
