US $141 million UAV sends emergency signal while flying near Crimea peninsula

The MQ-4C UAV, with call sign BLKCAT6, was conducting reconnaissance operations over the Black Sea. According to the RadarBox website that collects data from aircraft, the aircraft sent out an emergency signal while operating near Crimea, before landing at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) base located on the island of Sicily, Italy.

The plane issued an emergency alert code of 7700 and landed at the Sigonella naval base at around 7 p.m. (Moscow time), according to Defense Mirror .

US MQ-4C UAV sends out emergency signal near Crimea

According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regulations, the standard emergency code 7700 is used in case of serious emergency, 7600 in case of communication failure and 7500 in case of hijacking.

The US military has not yet commented on this information.

MQ-4C Triton UAV is assigned to the US Navy

The MQ-4C Triton is a long-range reconnaissance UAV launched by the US Navy in 2018. The aircraft was developed based on the RQ-4 Global Hawk UAV equipped with the US Air Force. The main activities of the MQ-4C are maritime reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, and reconnaissance operations in strategic areas such as the Black Sea.

The UAV is 14 m long, has a wingspan of 39.9 m, and a maximum take-off weight of 14.6 tons. A crew of 5 people from the ground will control the aircraft's operations. According to The War Zone magazine, compared to its "senior" RQ-4A, which was launched in 2001, the UAV equipped for the US Navy has a reinforced body and wings, along with additional features that help the aircraft resist icing on the leading edges and around the air intake, while improving lightning resistance.

The company that produces the MQ-4C, Northrop Grumman, introduced the aircraft that can reach a ceiling of 15 km, thereby improving its reconnaissance capabilities at sea. Shephard Defense Insight cited information from the US Navy's fiscal 2022 proposal, mentioning that each MQ-4C Triton costs 141 million USD.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/uav-141-trieu-usd-cua-my-phat-tin-hieu-khan-khi-bay-sat-ban-dao-crimea-185240615161144883.htm