A South Korean Army surveillance drone collided with a parked helicopter at an airfield just north of Seoul on Monday, but no injuries were reported, according to the Army.
The incident occurred when the Israeli-made Heron drone was attempting to land at the Yangju Army base around 1 p.m., causing a fire that was quickly extinguished within 20 minutes. Both the drone and the helicopter, a Surion built by Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd., were destroyed in the blaze.
The military has launched an investigation into the cause of the collision, though no North Korean GPS jamming activity was detected at the time, a military official confirmed.
The Heron drone, built by Israel Aerospace Industries, has been in use by South Korea’s military since 2016 for monitoring North Korean artillery along the western coast.
The accident comes amid the ongoing joint military exercise, Freedom Shield, between South Korea and the United States, which is scheduled to end on Thursday.
