The Shadow RQ-7Bv2 unmanned aircraft which lost connectivity with the ground station here Jan. 31 was found today by a hiker in the mountains west of Evergreen, Colorado.
No one was injured, but the aircraft has sustained damage.
Soldiers from Fort Carson, Colorado, along with Clear Creek County and Jefferson County, Colorado, Sheriff Departments are currently assisting with security and recovery efforts.
Search efforts were aided by the National Radar Forensics Team at 1st Air Force’s Air Force Rescue Coordination Center at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, which specializes in tracking lost and/or downed aircraft. The team was able to reconstruct the aircraft’s flight profile from start to finish by leveraging data from multiple radar returns simultaneously determining course and approximate airspeed and altitude.
The unmanned aircraft was part of a training mission being conducted at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, by the 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion of the 2-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division, from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.
The Shadow RQ-7Bv2 is a rapidly deployable, short-range airborne reconnaissance system designed to give the battlefield commander a day/night, multi-sensor collection system. The aircraft has an endurance of 8-9 hours and can fly a distance of 125 kilometers. It weighs 450 pounds, has a wingspan of 20 feet and a fuel capacity of 58 liters. The Shadow has an estimated value of $1.5 million.
An investigation to determine why the Shadow lost connectivity with its ground station continues.