Military jet & police drone in near miss
A POLICE drone had to take emergency evasive action to avoid being hit by a 520mph military jet.
An F15E Strike Eagle fighter came within 600ft of the 13lb device, said an officer carrying out a legal aerial search on Dartmoor.
“He honestly believed it was going to collide with the drone,” said a report to the UK Airprox Board.
The US jet, thought to have come from RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk, was flying at a permitted height of 500ft, the report found.
There had been no criticism of the drone operator, said Devon and Cornwall Police, which reported the incident. There were calls for such operators to be alerted to military flights.
The Board said “normal safety standards and procedures had pertained”.