Small IDF drone crashes in Hebron, is retrieved by troops

Skylark UAV falls out the sky for unknown reasons while conducting reconnaissance mission over West Bank city

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

Israeli soldiers retreive a Skylark drone that crashed in the West Bank city of Hebron, October 19, 2022. (Social media: used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Israeli soldiers retreive a Skylark drone that crashed in the West Bank city of Hebron, October 19, 2022. (Social media: used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

A small Israeli military drone crashed in the West Bank city of Hebron on Wednesday afternoon, the Israel Defense Forces said.

The drone, a Skylark model, was on a reconnaissance mission when it fell out of the sky for as-yet-unknown reasons.

The device was collected by troops shortly after, the IDF said.

There did not appear to be a risk that classified information could have been retrieved from the device, the army added.

Many such comparatively inexpensive unmanned aerial vehicles, which are used primarily for reconnaissance missions, have crashed in enemy territory over the years.

In May, a Skylark drone crashed in southern Lebanon due to a technical fault, according to the IDF.

https://twitter.com/khanadeq/status/1582717140838539264?s=20&t=MgQ0ootZ60MnP8C8M4qHSw

The “sky rider,” as it’s known in Hebrew, is a tactical surveillance drone created by Elbit Systems and operated by the IDF’s Artillery Corps.

The miniature UAV can be launched by one or two people, depending on the model, and once airborne provides a live video feed to soldiers on the ground.

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