Pentagon comfirms Iraq drone crash that surafaced online
The Pentagon confirmed that pictures of a drone crash in Iraq that appeared on the internet were real. A military spokesperson said in a statement, "We can confirm an MQ-1 crashed on its way to its recovery base in Iraq [...] due to a malfunction that caused a loss of communication." The drones are part of the US Army's Aviation Modernization Plan; weighing up to 1,075 pounds, they cost around $21 million each and can carry Hellfire missiles.
There are a lot of hoaxes on the internet, but if you see images of a drone that looks like the one above, lying motionless in the middle of the desert, then you can be sure those aren't fake. Pentagon has admitted to BuzzFeed that the pictures of a drone crash that recently started circulating on social media websites are real. Those photos were posted on Twitter by Iraqi journalist Steve Ishak, who told the publication that he got them from a follower who, in turn, got them from local villagers in the country's Samawa province. "We can confirm an MQ-1 crashed on its way to its recovery base in Iraq," military spokesperson Major Genieve David said, adding that the UAV malfunctioned due to "loss of communication."

The images themselves corroborate the major's claim, because it doesn't seem like the plane was shot down, and the damage it incurred at least looked consistent with a crash. MQ-1 Predator Gray Eagle drones are part of the U.S. Army's Aviation Modernization Plan, cost around $21 million each and can carry payload, including Hellfire missiles, weighing up to 1,075 pounds. David, who didn't elaborate on what the broken drone was used for, said the broken UAV wasn't carrying any weapon. At the moment, Pentagon is working with Iraq to recover the MQ-1's metallic carcass, even though the drone might never fly again.

A U.S drone crashed in the desert of Samawa province in southern iraq earlier today pic.twitter.com/VbQiCPJFJ6 — Steven Nabil (@stevoiraq) July 21, 2015