Unmanned US MQ9 Reaper makes controlled emergency landing in Poland
The area of the forced landing of the aircraft was secured; everything was under control - assured on Tuesday, Air Force Inspector Gen. Ireneusz Nowak. The General spoke about the circumstances of the emergency landing of the American unmanned aerial vehicle MQ9 Reaper near Mirosławiec.
On Monday, just before midnight UK time, the General Command of the Armed Forces announced that near Mirosławiec (West Pomeranian Voivodeship), an American unmanned aerial vehicle MQ9 Reaper of the US Air Force had made an emergency landing while conducting flights in Polish airspace. The landing - as the command reported - took place according to procedures in a secured uninhabited area.
About the incident, Gen. Nowak informed. - I will frankly say, we had quite a nervous, sleepless night, both in the command and primarily in the 12th Base of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Mirosławiec. This was related to the fact that during a training flight of the American unmanned plane MQ9 Reaper, control over the plane was lost, resulting in what is called a forced landing of the plane near the Mirosławiec airstrip - said the general.
It was a routine training mission
The aircraft was conducting a routine training mission, which in this case should be carried out once a quarter. - It was to test and carry out approaches to landing at the Mirosławiec airfield using the so-called automatic takeoff and landing system. It was flying from a base in Romania - informed Gen. Nowak, adding that after completing its task in Poland, the machine was to return to Romania.
The information that control over the aircraft had been lost - as the inspector mentioned - reached the Polish side around 5am UK time.
- This is the so-called "lost link" procedure, meaning, in short, that the crew controlling the plane from the ground in Romania could no longer continue these activities. An attempt was made to transfer this control to another station located in Mińsk Mazowiecki and have those operators from Mińsk Mazowiecki take over control. This attempt was unsuccessful. Consequently, a decision was made that an attempt of this forced landing should be conducted - said the inspector.
Every military airfield, including the one in Mirosławiec, has - as Gen. Nowak explained - an area where it is possible to safely - on uninhabited land - drop, for example, suspended fuel tanks or weaponry in case of an emergency landing of a combat aircraft. - This area covers about 10 by 10 kilometres, so it's quite a large area - he noted.
"The area of the potential forced landing was secured"
The inspector also stressed that the Polish side had plenty of time to prepare. - From the moment we learnt that the American crew had lost control over the aircraft, we knew we had about 4.5 hours to prepare. Therefore, all necessary procedures for such a case were undertaken - he said, adding that the Military Gendarmerie, Police, Fire Department, and local government bodies were notified.
- The area of the potential forced landing of the aircraft was secured. It was clear that there were no people there. There was nobody who could be harmed. Everything was under control - highlighted Gen. Nowak. He also reminded that the MQ9 Reaper was unarmed. - There was no fuel or weapons on board, so there were no dangerous materials on board - he emphasized.
The inspector also explained that the machine was circling in a right-hand pattern and broadcasting a four-digit code from its transponder, which indicates that the plane is in danger. - This allows air traffic services but also other aircraft crews in the air to avoid such an area and bypass it - for obvious safety reasons - the area where that plane is located - said Gen. Nowak.
- About 10 minutes before 4am UK time, the aircraft exhausted all its remaining fuel, and after about 10 minutes of gliding, it landed in the area we expected. The plane was found about nine minutes after landing. And from that time, the landing site was secured - summarized.
The causes will be investigated by the American side
When asked about the causes of this event, he responded that the MQ9 Reaper belonged to the American side and they would be investigating it.
- Here, the Polish Military is not the owner of this machine, so the American side will carry out the investigative activities, of course with the assistance of Polish specialists - he said. - All causes will be investigated; there has been much speculation in the media about GPS signal interference, but I can say that at first glance it was not about GPS because the plane was still flying along a pre-planned route autonomously and in so-called backup mode - he added.
The Air Force Inspector did not rule out that the incident could be related to the situation on Poland's eastern border. - This is a task for the services, it's a task for specialists, and here we do not exclude any cause, all will be investigated - he emphasized Gen. Nowak.
- This is very advanced technology, but I also do not hide that this aspect of our security situation surrounding Poland probably played some role and all of this will, of course, be investigated - he added.
When asked why control over the machine could not be taken over by the operators in Mińsk Mazowiecki, Gen. Nowak answered that "this is a technical question and surely the American side will also investigate this aspect". Asked also whether the machine is currently operational, he responded that "in the case of a forced emergency landing, the machine usually does not come out unscathed, so the aircraft is damaged".
