South Korean air force academy cadets touch the tail of an MQ-9 Reaper assigned to the 431st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, Dec. 10, 2025. (Karissa Dick/U.S. Air Force)
U.S. and South Korean forces have recovered an Air Force drone that crashed last month off the country’s western coast, according to the 8th Fighter Wing.
The MQ-9 Reaper, assigned to the 431st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron at Kunsan Air Base, “was involved in an incident” during a routine mission near Maldo-ri Island on Nov. 24, according to news release from the wing that day.
South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, citing unnamed military officials, reported that the Reaper crashed into the Yellow Sea off the coast of Gunsan city, 112 miles south of Seoul.
The aircraft has been recovered following “a thorough and collaborative effort,” Capt. Samantha Perez, a spokeswoman for the 8th Fighter Wing, told Stars and Stripes by email Monday.
The wing appreciates the strong partnership with South Korea’s army, navy and coast guard during the recovery, Perez wrote.
“The combined expertise and resources of our two militaries were essential to the success of this operation,” she said.
MQ-9 flight operations have not ceased, Perez added.
“While the incident is under investigation, all flight operations will continue with a heightened awareness and commitment to safety, ensuring that any potential issues are proactively addressed,” she wrote.
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’s mission is to “support U.S.-Korean priorities in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance,” 7th Air Force spokeswoman Maj. Laura Hayden said at the time.
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. It 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 a 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 nearly 3 million flight hours and averaged one such mishap every 232,000 flight hours.
