The United States African Command (AFRICOM) confirmed earlier this week that it has retrieved the Hellfire missile that was armed on an MQ-1C drone that crashed near Agadez, Niger, on Feb. 29.
The MQ-1C Gray Eagle drone was lost after suffering a mechanical failure, according to a March 2 statement by AFRICOM via its Twitter handle.
The AGM-114 Hellfire missile which detached during the crash of the MQ-1C drone, was spotted intact on a photograph on social media beside an unknown man.
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With the Hellfire missile being intact, it raised fears that sensitive military technology could be passed on to the terror groups operating in Niger.
Since the last decade, a number of terror and insurgent groups have been operating in Niger and West Africa to include ISIS and al-Qaida offshoots.
According to a Nigerien source, a special force team from the US and Niger military escorted the projectile back to Nigerien Air Base 201, located around 5 km southeast of Agadez.
The AGM-114 HELLFIRE missile
The AGM-114 HELLFIRE Family of Missiles includes the HELLFIRE II and Longbow HELLFIRE Missiles. HELLFIRE II is a precision strike, Semi-Active Laser (SAL)-guided missile and is the principal air-to-ground weapon for the Army AH-64 Apache, OH-58 Kiowa Warrior, MQ-1C Gray Eagle Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), Special Operations aircraft, Marine Corps AH-1W Super Cobra, and Air Force Predator and Reaper UAS.