An MQ-9 Reaper drone of the U.S. Air Force has crashed in northern Syria.

The video was posted on social media the night before.

It happened in a region controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Observers on social media suggest that a weapon did not cause the drone crash but probably due to technical malfunctions.

The footage clearly shows the aircraft’s tail section, which is identical to the U.S. MQ-9 Reaper, although no insignia is visible.

The American drone was probably conducting a reconnaissance flight over the territory of Syria, where the rapid advance of the so-called opposition forces ended the authoritarian rule of President Bashar al-Assad, supported by Russia and Iran.

MQ-9 Reaper

The MQ-9 Reaper is a reconnaissance and strike drone known for its long range. It is designed for reconnaissance missions and striking important targets with high-precision weapons that can be equipped as needed. The American company General Atomics Aeronautical Systems developed it with several modifications.

The unmanned aerial vehicle first took to the skies on February 2, 2001. Created as a further development of the MQ-1 Predator, the Reaper is powered by a powerful Honeywell TP331-10 turboprop engine.

The Reaper is 11 meters long and has a wingspan of 20 meters. The aircraft’s empty weight is 2223 kilograms, and the maximum takeoff weight is 4760 kilograms, of which 1700 kilograms are payload and 1300 kilograms are fuel.

The engine provides a speed of over 400 km/h. The drone can climb to an altitude of 15,000 meters, and the duration of stay in the air is up to 28 hours (in the Reaper ER version – from 27 to 33 hours).

Syria

A massive Israeli strike on December 8 on the Mezzeh air base in Damascus destroyed several helicopters and damaged elements of the air defense system.

The strike was carried out after control of the airbase was taken over by opposition forces. Prior to that, the airbase was used mainly as a logistics center where weapons and ammunition were stored.