Yangju: An Army surveillance drone collided with a helicopter parked at an airfield just north of Seoul on Monday, but no casualties were reported, the Army said. The collision took place as the Israeli-made Heron drone was attempting to land at the Army base in Yangju at about 1 p.m., sparking a fire that was extinguished in about 20 minutes, according to the Army.
According to Yonhap News Agency, no one was injured, but the drone and the helicopter, a Surion built by Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd., were completely destroyed by the fire, an Army official said. The military has launched an investigation into the exact cause of the accident. A military official said it did not detect any North Korean attempts to jam GPS signals in the area at the time.
South Korea’s military has employed the Heron, built by Israel Aerospace Industries, since 2016 to monitor North Korean artillery stationed on the western coast and other areas. The accident took place as South Korea and the United States are conducting their major annual springtime exercise, named Freedom Shield, which is set to end its 11-day run on Thursday.