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Missing Shadow unmanned aircraft found in Colorado
Sierra Vista Herald ^ | Tanja M. Linton, Fort Huachuca Public Affairs Office

Posted on 02/10/2017 4:35:46 AM PST by SandRat

FORT HUACHUCA - The Shadow RQ-7Bv2 unmanned aircraft which lost connectivity with the ground station here Jan. 31 was found today by a hiker in the mountains west of Evergreen, Colorado.

No one was injured, but the aircraft has sustained damage.

Soldiers from Fort Carson, Colorado, along with Clear Creek County and Jefferson County, Colorado, Sheriff Departments are currently assisting with security and recovery efforts.

Search efforts were aided by the National Radar Forensics Team at 1st Air Force's Air Force Rescue Coordination Center at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, which specializes in tracking lost and/or downed aircraft. The team was able to reconstruct the aircraft's flight profile from start to finish by leveraging data from multiple radar returns simultaneously determining course and approximate airspeed and altitude.

The unmanned aircraft was part of a training mission being conducted at Fort Huachuca by the 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion of the 2-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division, from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.

The Shadow RQ-7Bv2 is a rapidly deployable, short-range airborne reconnaissance system designed to give the battlefield commander a day/night, multi-sensor collection system. The aircraft has an endurance of eight to nine hours and can fly a distance of 125 kilometers. It weighs 450 pounds, has a wingspan of 20 feet and a fuel capacity of 58 liters. he Shadow has an estimated value of $1.5 million.

An investigation to determine why the Shadow lost connectivity with its ground station continues.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; US: Arizona; US: Colorado
KEYWORDS: ftcarson; fthuachuca; rq7bv2; shadow; uav
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To: Bob

Correction — controlled from Huachuca (in article), possibly launched from Carson (unspecified)


21 posted on 02/10/2017 5:37:26 AM PST by Bob (Now, Republicans get to sing "Happy Days Are Here Again". Enjoy the suck, rats.)
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To: Texas Fossil

If the endurance is 8 hrs, and it can only fly 125 km, that’s only 15 km/h or about 9 mph ground speed? Even if the 125 is out and back range, that’s only 18 mph? The 125 limit has to be something to do with control range as you say.


22 posted on 02/10/2017 5:37:32 AM PST by ThunderSleeps (Doing my part to help make America great again!)
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To: DoubleNickle
"The drone lost that link and went rouge and ended up in Colorado."

Wow, a drone that changes color when it loses the link. I would have thought it would have been easier to be found with that color.


23 posted on 02/10/2017 5:37:57 AM PST by BlueLancer (Ex Scientia Tridens)
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To: TigersEye

The article doesn’t say where the drone was launched. I’m guessing CO.


24 posted on 02/10/2017 5:40:36 AM PST by Bob (Now, Republicans get to sing "Happy Days Are Here Again". Enjoy the suck, rats.)
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To: Bob

So it has an 1,100 kilometer control range? Not what the article says.


25 posted on 02/10/2017 5:42:37 AM PST by TigersEye (Winning. Winning winning winning every day!!!)
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To: BlueLancer

Now that’s funny! Should have waited for my 2nd cup of coffee before trying to type anything. Thanks for catching my spelling error.


26 posted on 02/10/2017 5:42:44 AM PST by DoubleNickle
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To: DoubleNickle; Bob

Thanks, that makes more sense. It could easily have been launched from Arizona, lost contact with it’s ground station, then it’s onboard autopilot kept the aircraft on it’s last known heading until it ran out of fuel.


27 posted on 02/10/2017 5:44:58 AM PST by Yo-Yo ( Is the /sarc tag really necessary?)
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To: ThunderSleeps

It has a top speed of 126MPH so speed * time = distance which would be ~1008 miles. Speed source here:
http://www.military.com/equipment/rq-7b-shadow


28 posted on 02/10/2017 5:47:32 AM PST by DoubleNickle
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To: TigersEye

The article doesn’t say it has anywhere near an 1,100 km flight range either.


29 posted on 02/10/2017 5:49:00 AM PST by Bob (Now, Republicans get to sing "Happy Days Are Here Again". Enjoy the suck, rats.)
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To: Bob

But it does say this “FORT HUACHUCA - The Shadow RQ-7Bv2 unmanned aircraft which lost connectivity with the ground station here...”


30 posted on 02/10/2017 5:50:18 AM PST by TigersEye (Winning. Winning winning winning every day!!!)
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To: All
The Army had thought the drone had crashed and disintegrated in Arizona.

DENVER - An Army drone that disappeared on a training flight in southern Arizona has been found hundreds of miles away in Colorado, and the military is trying to figure out how it got there.


31 posted on 02/10/2017 5:53:07 AM PST by TigersEye (Winning. Winning winning winning every day!!!)
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To: Yo-Yo

Fort Huachuca/Sierra Vista.

Down on the AZ/Mex border.


32 posted on 02/10/2017 5:53:14 AM PST by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
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To: SandRat
The Shadow RQ-7Bv2 unmanned aircraft which lost connectivity

They must have my Internet Provider.

33 posted on 02/10/2017 5:54:52 AM PST by 21st Century Crusader (August 26, 1191)
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To: ThunderSleeps
If the endurance is 8 hrs, and it can only fly 125 km, that’s only 15 km/h or about 9 mph ground speed?

Controlable distance is 125 km, 8 hrs. flight time doesn't mean in a straight line. They do back and forth scans of territory......

34 posted on 02/10/2017 5:55:28 AM PST by Hot Tabasco
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To: SandRat

Well I reckon since there is no “How To Scrap a Shadow RQ-7Bv2 unmanned aircraft” on youtube, might as well give it back to the g0vt in hopes of a reward.


35 posted on 02/10/2017 6:02:12 AM PST by The_Republic_Of_Maine (politicians beware)
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To: The_Republic_Of_Maine

See the guys at the Las Vegas Pawn Stare Pawn shop.


36 posted on 02/10/2017 6:06:47 AM PST by SandRat (Duty, Honor, Country.)
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To: DoubleNickle

“It has a top speed of 126MPH so speed * time = distance which would be ~1008 miles. “

European or African and was there are tailwind?


37 posted on 02/10/2017 6:13:07 AM PST by Rebelbase
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To: rjsimmon

May I submit that how much the Army values something is poorly associated with its worth.


38 posted on 02/10/2017 6:26:07 AM PST by dangerdoc ((this space for rent))
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To: BlueLancer

Oh, the hughmanitee! That is all we need now, rouge drones!


39 posted on 02/10/2017 6:51:42 AM PST by Freedom_Is_Not_Free (The GOP will see the light, because Trump will make them feel the heat.)
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To: SandRat

>http://www.9news.com/news/local/missing-military-drone-found-in-evergreen/406581039<

Update w better pic and track.


40 posted on 02/10/2017 6:54:00 AM PST by G Larry (There is no great virtue in bargaining with the Devil)
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