IDF drone makes emergency landing in West Bank
Small 'Sky Rider' UAV forced to land due to technical malfunction before being collected by IDF
A Sky Rider drone belonging to the IDF made an emergency landing near Nablus on Wednesday after experiencing a technical malfunction. The army has launched an investigation into the incident.
The unmanned aircraft was collected by army forces after being lightly damaged.
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An initial probe found that the UAV made the emergency landing around 6 pm after completing a military operation. The aircraft's wing has cracked from the impact and the army is examining its systems for further damage.
Sky Rider drone after landing (Photo: Idan Amir)
Sky Rider drones are the smallest UAVs in the IDF's possession and are used for surveillance. Only months ago the Sky Rider fleet underwent upgrades after one such drone crashed.
Two weeks ago a foreign drone breached Israel's airspace and was shot down by the IAF. Several reports have claimed that Iran and Hezbollah were responsible from the mission. According one report in the Sunday Times, the UAV managed to record images of secret Israeli military bases.
Early in 2012, an "Eitan" drone crashed near the central Israeli city of Gedera during an experiment conducted by the Israel Aerospace Industries. No injuries were reported in the incident. It remains unclear whether the crash was a result of a human error or a malfunction.
Itamar Fleishman contributed to the report
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