Click to see full-size image. Source: fb.com/KURDISTAN.CT
Late on December 29, an Aerosonde reconnaissance drone of the United States military crushed in the Kurdistan region in northern Iraq.
The drone crashed in the district of Bahrka in Erbil province. The Kurdistan Directorate General of Counter Terrorism said in a brief statement that a “technical problem” was behind the crash. The U.S. Central Command has not commented on the incident, yet.
The Aerosonde was developed by Textron Systems. The drone has an operational range of 140 kilometers, an endurance of more than 14 hours and can fly as high as 4,572 meters. It can also carry a payload weighting 9.1 kilograms, usually an optical reconnaissance system.
The reconnaissance drone is known to be in service with the U.S. Special Operations Command, Marine Corps and the Air Force.
The U.S. military maintains a large presence in Iraq as it leads a so-called “Global Coalition” against ISIS remnants in the country as well as in neighboring Syria. This military presence is especially large in the Kurdistan, whose regional government is considered to be the top Iraqi ally of Washington.
While the U.S. claims that its military presence in Iraq is strictly directed against ISIS, it is in reality meant to counter Iran’s influence in the Middle East. The U.S. drone strike that killed Iran’s Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani near Baghdad International Airport around three years ago is a clear example.
