USAF Reaper Crashes in Libya
A US Air Force MQ-9A Extended Range Reaper UAV crashed near Al-Maqzha, just outside of Benghazi, Libya this past Monday, August 22. The Libyan National Army (LNA) claimed that it was shot down by air defense systems, and US Africa Command said that the drone was surveilling the area in advance of planned diplomatic meetings. A USAF statement to AeroTime said:
“U.S. Africa Command has confirmed that a U.S. Air Force Remote Piloted Aircraft (RPA) crashed in the vicinity of Benghazi, Libya. The aircraft was operating in support of U.S. Ambassador and Special Envoy to Libya Richard Norland’s diplomatic engagements scheduled to occur in eastern Libya, and there was prior coordination with the appropriate Libyan authorities.”
The LNA claimed that the downed drone was armed with two missiles, however no weapon debris was photographed at the crash site. Analysis of the wreckage on social media confirms that this is an MQ-9A. Social media posts linked to the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary organization, claim that the drone was shot down by a Pantsir S1 air defense system.
Further analysis of the wreckage of the drone confirms that it is an Extended Range Reaper, which Overt Defense has covered before. The Extended Range version of the MQ-9A Reaper has a number of unique features, the most noticeable of which is the four propeller blades. Only the United States is known to operate the Extended Range Reaper.
The United States operates Extended Range Reapers out of Sigonella Air Force Base in Italy, used for operations in Europe and North Africa. These fall under the 409th Air Expeditionary Group, whose 324th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron flies Reapers out of Sigonella. The USAF Reaper drones from Sigonella have been used over Libya for years. In 2019, a USAF Reaper was shot down by Russian-made air defense systems operated by the LNA.