A U.S. Navy jet-powered drone crashed today in a swampy area of Salisbury, Maryland. The drone, a RQ-4A Global Hawk, crashed while performing a routine training exercise near the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, and fortunately there are currently no reported injuries to civilians or damages to properties. CNN was able to obtain an aerial shot of the downed drone and beyond the debris, fire, and smoke, there doesn’t seem to be much left of the multi-million dollar piece of equipment.

 

 

The actual crash happened around 12:11 p.m., near a tributary of the Nanticoke River in Dorchester county, which is currently blocked off to civilian boats. The drone was one of five different pieces of equipment that the Air Force Global Hawk program had acquired to practice aerial surveillance and reconnaissance, and is capable of flying for 30 hours without refueling at altitudes of up to 11 miles. The RQ-4A Global Hawk is actually one of the most advanced drones the military owns, and will cost a pretty penny to replace (something to the tune of $176 million).

Thankfully the drone crashed without causing any collateral damage for the civilian population in that area of Maryland, mainly because these planes are monstrously large. The are roughly 44 feet long and have a wingspan of 116-feet. Coming in around 25,600 lbs, this must have made quite the ruckus when it fell out of the sky. These drones don’t carry missiles or weapons, so detonation of any ordinance was not a concern as the Navy and Coast Guard went about the salvage and recovery process of the drone parts.

 

 

[image via aircraftwallpaper]