The Baltic nation of Latvia has deployed army aircraft to search for a drone that was lost during a test flight. The incident has forced at least one airliner to be quickly rerouted from the country’s main airport.
The airspace over Riga International Airport has been closed due to a lost drone. The airport’s spokesperson, Laura Karnite, told local media that the measure has already caused disruption of air traffic, as a Riga-bound flight from the Chinese city of Urumqi was forced to change course and land in Tallinn, Estonia, which borders Latvia.
Latvian drone-maker UAV Factory lost all communication with one of its drones on Saturday when it was performing a controlled test flight, flying 200m (656ft) above the ground. The whereabouts of the UAV have since been unknown, and the authorities scrambled aircraft to track it down.
‼️ Brīdinājums par nekontrolēti lidojošu dronu
— Civilās aviācijas aģentūra (@LV_CAA) May 2, 2020
‼️ Ja redzat šādu lidojošu dronu, ziņojiet pa tālruņiem 29337238 vai 65703988
ℹ️ Plašāka informācija: https://t.co/4jqGB0hdDv pic.twitter.com/nhB3HOgV7J
The Latvian Army has deployed an An-2 biplane and a Mi-17 helicopter to search for the drone. The Civil Aviation Agency also said that two aircraft are participating in the operation, while urging citizens to provide information about the runaway UAV if they see it.
— Civilās aviācijas aģentūra (@LV_CAA) May 3, 2020
The drone can travel at a speed of about 70kph (44mph), and had enough fuel for 90 hours of flight when it was lost. It is 3.5m wide, 5.5m long, and weighs about 26kg (57.3lb).
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