Air Force Lost $13M Drone in Mediterranean After Propeller Fell Off
Aug. 12, 2025 | By Rachel S. Cohen
An MQ-9 Reaper drone plunged into the Mediterranean Sea last winter after its propeller suddenly detached, a recently released Air Force investigation concluded.
The mishap occurred Dec. 16, 2024, when the mechanical element connecting the drone’s propeller to its engine failed while on its way to a mission in the area, the service said in its investigation report published July 30. The probe couldn’t determine why the equipment failed because the Air Force didn’t recover the wreckage.
Losing the aircraft cost the Air Force $13.2 million, the service said. No one was hurt or no other property damaged in the incident.
The MQ-9 belonged to the 432nd Wing at Creech Air Force Base, Nev., one of the service’s drone warfare hubs. A drone pilot with the 20th Attack Squadron—a unit affiliated with the 432nd Wing but based at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri—was flying the Reaper at the time of the crash. The squadron uses MQ-9s to collect intelligence from above and to strike targets without putting U.S. troops in harm’s way.
https://www.airandspaceforces.com/air-force-lost-drone-mediterranean-propeller-detached/
