A close call between a drone and an airliner nine years ago is getting renewed attention thanks to an online video showing the near collision.
The footage, taken by the EMT Luna X-2000 drone, shows the unmanned aerial vehicle passing just meters beneath the wing of an Ariana Afghan Airlines Airbus A300 in Afghanistan. The aircraft was carrying approximately 100 people during the close encounter with the 88-pound reconnaissance drone. The UAV crashed after becoming destabilized in the wake turbulence of the A300.
While the video was leaked online several years ago, it has gained worldwide attention this week after the prominent German media outlet Der Spiegel rediscovered it. Debate over the use of unmanned vehicles has heated up in Germany after the country’s defense minister decided not to equip the Luna’s successor, known as the Euro Hawk, with anti-collision technology.
Check out the video here.
