An Air Force Accident Investigation Board was not able to determine why an MQ-1B Predator unmanned aerial vehicle that crashed May 13 (earlier reported as May 14) in Afghanistan lost contact with its ground control station, Air Combat Command announced Sept. 22. Operators were unable to reestablish a return link, and officials presumed the UAV went down in a forward operating area. The AIB found “sufficient evidence” to rule out “weather, icing, aircrew performance or qualifications, fuel starvation, or maintenance discrepancies,” the release said. The UAV was valued at some $3.9 million.
U.S. aircraft, drones, and attack helicopters have launched significant airstrikes in recent days against Islamic State militants in Syria as part of the renewed air campaign against remnants of the group, U.S. officials said.
