An MQ-9A Predator B unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) of the Italian Air Force was reportedly shot down on November 20 over the town of Tarhunah in western Libya.
Libyan sources released several photos showing the wreckage of the downed UAV. The insignia of the Italian Air Force can be clearly seen on the UAV’s wings.
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A source in the Libyan National Army (LNA) told the al-Marsad newspaper that the army shot down the UAV believing that it was being operated by the Turkish Air Force. These claims have not been verified yet.
The MQ-9 Predator B, presented by General Atomics in 2007, has a rage of more than 1,800km and an endurance of up to 14 hours.
Italy bought six MQ-9A UAVs from the U.S. in 2008 and 2009. In 2015, Washington approved a deal covering weapons integration onto Italy’s Predator B.
Italian MQ-9As are being operated by the 32° Stormo Wing of the Italian Air Force, which is based at Amendola Air Base in southeastern Italy. The UAVs took part in the 2011 NATO-led intervention in Libya.
