A U.S. Air Force unit in South Korea announced it has completed recovery operations for an MQ-9 drone that crashed off the west coast last month. The incident occurred near Maldo-ri Island off Gunsan, with no injuries reported, and an investigation into the cause is ongoing. The U.S. military conducted the operation in cooperation with the South Korean Navy, Coast Guard, and Army.
On November 24, 2025, a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone crashed near Maldo-ri Island off the western city of Gunsan, about 180 kilometers south of Seoul. The drone belonged to the 431st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron at the U.S. air base in Gunsan, which was formally activated on the Korean Peninsula for the first time in late September following previous rotational deployments. The MQ-9 is designed for surveillance and attack missions with long-range flight capabilities and is believed to monitor North Korea and China's activities in the West Sea.
On December 14, the 8th Fighter Wing told Yonhap News Agency that "following a thorough and collaborative effort, the recovery operation has now been successfully completed." The U.S. Air Force carried out the operation in cooperation with the South Korean Navy, Coast Guard, and Army, stating that "the combined expertise and resources of our two militaries were essential to the success of this operation" and thanking the South Korean military for its "strong partnership."
An investigation into the cause of the crash is underway, and the U.S. Air Force did not elaborate on plans to deploy a replacement MQ-9 to address any reconnaissance gap. However, it affirmed that "our priority remains the safety and effectiveness of our operations. We are continuously evaluating our operational posture and resource allocation to ensure mission requirements are met." This incident highlights the challenges in the recently established permanent squadron on the peninsula.
