Kunsan Air Base Reported the Accident During Routine Operations

The US Air Force has confirmed that it lost an MQ-9 Reaper drone to the South Korean waters on November 24. The aircraft, assigned to Kunsan Air Base, was conducting what officials described as a routine mission when it encountered an unspecified incident around 4:35 am near Maldo-Ri Island.

Reapers are long-range, unmanned turboprops built for reconnaissance, strike, and persistent overwatch. With a range exceeding 1,600 miles and near-continuous endurance through aerial refueling, the MQ-9 gives U.S. forces broad coverage across Northeast Asia. Its reach includes the Bohai Sea (about 600 miles from Kunsan) and Taiwan, roughly 800 miles to the south. The Air Force previously said the aircraft would support US-Korean intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance priorities across the Indo-Pacific.

The drone belonged to the 431st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron: a unit stood up in September as part of a broader effort to increase surveillance in the western Pacific as regional tensions continue simmering.

South Korean media quickly picked up on the fact that the drone had crashed. The Air Force did not dispute claims, noting that the cause remains under investigation. Recovery efforts and assessment procedures are underway, though no details on debris or equipment retrieval have been released.

The most recent loss adds to a mixed safety record for the MQ-9 fleet. A 2022 Congressional Research Service report found that Reapers experienced a higher rate of major accidents (those that cause more than $2.5 million in damage) than manned US military aircraft. The average per-unit cost of an MQ-9 was approximately $28 million at that time, placing each mishap squarely in the high-stakes category.

Kunsan’s MQ-9 presence was meant to provide a boost to the U.S. surveillance network in a region where North Korean missile activity, Chinese naval movements, and shifting security alignments keep demand for persistent ISR high. As the probe continues, the Air Force has confirmed that operations are proceeding as normal.

FMI: www.af.mil