An unmanned U.S. Navy helicopter drone crashed into the side of the littoral combat ship Charleston after taking off from the vessel Tuesday morning.
The mishap occurred as the ship was underway in the east Pacific, according to U.S. 3rd Fleet.
No one was injured, but the 31-foot-long MQ-8B Fire Scout drone fell into the sea and was not recovered, according to 3rd Fleet. The drone was assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 21 and was stationed aboard Charleston as part of its current mission.
The Fire Scout struck Charleston’s hull and damaged a safety net. While an assessment continues, the command said the damage appears to be limited to an area above the waterline.
Officials did not indicate whether the mishap took place during the Navy’s recent unmanned exercise off the West Coast, which aimed to showcase manned and unmanned platforms working together.
RELATED
The Nov. 16 accident was the second involving the MQ-8C in a week.
Charleston continues to operate and the mishap’s cause is being investigated, 3rd Fleet said.
Geoff is a senior staff reporter for Military Times, focusing on the Navy. He covered Iraq and Afghanistan extensively and was most recently a reporter at the Chicago Tribune. He welcomes any and all kinds of tips at geoffz@militarytimes.com.
Ricky Shiffer served in the Navy and the Florida Army National Guard, according to military records.
With the help of Oplign, Amazon is using artificial intelligence to match skill sets of veterans and their spouses to careers post-service.
3M sold its Combat Arms earplugs to every branch of the armed forces, but design defects may have caused hearing loss for service members.
A lawsuit against the former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs could now go to trial.
The report calls out the State Department for deeply underestimating the number of refugees.
Kelly Kennedy, War Horse managing editor, was the first reporter to cover burn pits and the resulting illnesses in service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Biden called the PACT Act one of the most important changes to veteran support policies in decades.
It is becoming increasingly apparent that competitors, such as Russia and China, desire to influence international norms and alter the behaviors of allies, partners and Arctic-focused countries for the benefit of these competitor nations.
The strikes killed four militants, according to a release.
China reaffirmed its threat to use military force to bring self-governing Taiwan under its control, amid threatening Chinese military exercises.
Load More