The Libyan army had previously stated in a statement on Monday that the plane was shot down near the Al-Rajma district, which houses the army’s general command, and near the Benina air base.
According to the American Stars and Stripes website, AFRICOM has initiated an investigation into the circumstances of the crash, citing US military sources.
target aircraft
Concerning the cause of the plane’s flight in Benghazi, Stars and Stripes, a military journal focusing on the US military, reported that it was monitoring the location prior to diplomatic discussions without offering any other details.
According to AFRICOM spokesperson Timothy Peter, the plane flew over Benghazi to support the diplomatic commitments of the US envoy to Libya and its ambassador there, Richard Norland, who is scheduled to visit the eastern sector soon.
The kind of aircraft was not provided to Stars and Stripes, but a comparison of the circulating photographs of its wreckage indicated that it was a MQ-9 Reaper.
General Atomics produced the MQ-9 Reaper aircraft, also known as the Predator (Predator) B. It is based on the MQ-1 Predator, although it is much larger and may be used as a missile launcher in addition to surveying.
It made its first flight in Afghanistan on February 2, 2001, and is powered by a turbo engine with a capacity of 900 horses. It weighs five tonnes and can carry guided missiles and bombs weighing up to 1. 7 tonnes.
It has a 3000 km range and costs $11.5 million dollars.
There is no working relationship with the Libyan army.
According to Aqila Al-Saber, a media official in the Libyan National Army, there was no coordination with the US side over the flight of that plane, but the army is aware of the impending arrival of the US ambassador.
Despite the aircraft’s modernity and advanced technology, the anti-aircraft missile batteries were able to deal with it as it neared a crucial site, the headquarters of the army’s general command and the Benina air base, with no deaths, according to Al-Saber.
Air defence readiness
According to Libyan military expert Saleh Abdullah, the army’s handling of the plane revealed the air defence media’s great preparation in monitoring and responding.
In a statement to Sky News Arabia, Abdullah indicated that similar aircraft flying incidents occur on a regular basis in the western area, but with no response from the armed organisations in control.
However, because the Libyan army has different air defence systems in the east and south, the insurance is not the same as in the west.
The militias recently took control of the western area, which includes Tripoli, while the army has seized control of the eastern region, which includes the army’s general command headquarters, after it ousted the militias in Operation Dignity fighting following 2014, despite external involvement.
To force militias out of the country’s western regions.
The Libyan army’s air defences had shot down a MQ-9 Reaper before. According to the Silvium Studies and Research Foundation, an Italian Air Force jet of the same kind was shot down near Tarhuna in western Libya in November 2019, followed by another, AFRICOM, over Tripoli.
Discover the characteristics of the plane shot down by the Libyan army.
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