Unanswered questions hover over Army drone’s 630-mile odyssey across western US

Mystery shrouds the rogue flight of an Army unmanned surveillance aircraft that was launched from southern Arizona on Jan. 31, flew hundreds of miles independent from human control and was found Feb. 9, broken apart in a tree outside Denver.

The incident has raised questions: Why did the Shadow RQ-7Bv2 unmanned aircraft fly so far outside its 77-mile range, and how did the Army lose its aircraft for 10 days?

The aircraft quickly lost its connection with its ground crew after it was slung from its pneumatic catapult, said Tanja Linton, a Fort Huachuca spokeswoman. Linton confirmed Monday that the aircraft essentially flew the entire 630-mile journey outside of the Army’s control.

Read the full article at Stars and Stripes.