An MQ-9 Reaper taxis toward the runway at Miroslawiec Air Base, Poland, in March 2019. A Reaper crashed March 17, 2024, while carrying out operations in Poland, U.S. Air Forces Europe and Africa said in statement. (Preston Cherry/U.S. Air Force)

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — An MQ-9 Reaper surveillance drone crashed this week while carrying out operations in Poland, U.S. Air Forces Europe and Africa said.

The aircraft went down Sunday near the northeastern Polish city of Miroslawiec, USAFE said Monday in a statement.

The accident happened in an uninhabited area, and there were no reported injuries or damage to property, USAFE said.

“The unmanned aircraft was unarmed and conducting routine operations when the incident occurred,” the statement said.

An investigation into the cause of the crash is underway.

The U.S. has been flying drones out of Miroslawiec since 2018. The area serves as a hub for surveillance missions along NATO’s eastern flank.

Reapers from the Polish base are dispatched for missions stretching from Estonia on the Baltic Sea to Romania in southern Europe to monitor the Black Sea region.

The United States has stepped up surveillance missions in Europe ever since Russia’s initial 2014 invasion of Ukraine. Those efforts have intensified since the Russia-Ukraine war started in 2022.

On occasion, such patrols have resulted in close encounters with the Russians. In March 2023, a Russian fighter jet collided with a U.S. MQ-9 over the Black Sea, forcing the unmanned aircraft to crash.