An MQ-9 Reaper crashed at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, on Feb. 20, but the Air Force said it was not downed by hostile fire. The Reaper, assigned to the 451st Air Expeditionary Group, 455th Air Expeditionary Wing, crashed about 9 p.m. Afghanistan time and was contained on the airfield. No injuries or damage to civilian property was reported. USAF is investigating what caused the crash. A Reaper assigned to the same unit crashed near Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, in November 2015. That crash also was caused by something other than enemy fire.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
