Predator Crashes in Iraq

An MQ-1 Predator crashed today at 7:10 P.M. while flying an armed reconnaissance mission in Iraq. The plane went down northwest of Balad Air Base, also known as LSA Anaconda, which is about 45 miles north of Baghdad.

It is the second to crash in the last week, and the sixth in the last 12 months. Each Predator costs $3.5 million dollars each. While the blow to taxpayer dollars is horrific, the MQ-1 is a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.) Therefore there has been no loss of life with any crash. These aircraft are revolutionary in the way they update modern warfare providing essential air support for ground personnel, with no risk to our airman. While an Air Force release didn’t specify what led to the crash, the service said “mechanical failure is suspected.”