Air Forces Central reports that an MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle had crashed in eastern Afghanistan on May 14. The brief statement said, “The crash was not due to hostile fire.” This is at least the third Predator crash in Afghanistan so far this year. There was one in February and one earlier this month.
As the threat of Iranian-made drones grew, the Air Force rushed last year to equip F-15E Strike Eagles in the Middle East with a cheap, cost-effective way of defeating them. The service fielded the new capability in roughly a week.
