Air Force
Air Force drone reportedly lost in crash off South Korean coast
Stars and Stripes
November 24, 2025
An Air Force MQ-9 Reaper taxis after landing at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, Oct. 23, 2024. (James Johnson/U.S. Air Force)
A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone flying from Kunsan Air Base reportedly crashed Monday morning off the west coast of South Korea, according to reports in South Korean media.
The Reaper, assigned to the 431st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron at Kunsan, “was involved in an incident” during a routine mission at 4:35 a.m. near Maldo-ri Island, according to news release from the 8th Fighter Wing that day.
South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, citing unnamed military officials, reported that the Reaper crashed in the Yellow Sea off the coast of Gunsan city, 112 miles south of Seoul.
Wing spokeswoman Capt. Samantha Perez at Kunsan declined by email Tuesday to provide additional information “due to operational security considerations.”
No injuries or damage to public property resulted from the crash, which is under investigation, according to the wing.
The 431st, formerly a World War II fighter squadron deactivated in 1949, was reactivated as a Reaper reconnaissance unit in September at Kunsan.
The squadron mission is to “support U.S.-Korean priorities in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance,” 7th Air Force spokeswoman Maj. Laura Hayden said at the time.
Kunsan, the wing headquarters, is about 115 miles southwest of Seoul.
The Reaper is a long-endurance, remotely piloted aircraft with a range of approximately 1,150 miles and a ceiling of 50,000 feet, according to the Air Force.
A Reaper costs about $30 million to procure, according to the Congressional Research Service.
Between fiscal years 1998 and 2021, Reapers were involved in 62 Class A mishaps, with 43 of the aircraft destroyed, according to the 2022 research service report. Class A mishaps result in $2.5 million or more in damage, loss of life or loss of the airframe.
While cheaper to build and operate than manned aircraft, Reapers are more likely to be involved in Class A mishaps, according to the report. During those three years, the Reapers flew 2.7 million flight hours and averaged one such mishap every 232,000 flight hours.