Images have emerged of a strange drone shaped like a real bird that was found crashed in Somalia, leading to claims it was being used to spy on targets. The metal bird, which is shaped to mimic a large bird of prey with ‘feathered’ wings, is reported to have been recovered in an area of the capital, Mogadishu.
According to local reports, the unmanned vehicle, which has two propellers attached to its wings, may be a surveillance craft used by the Somali intelligence agency, NISA.
Images of the bird drone were posted on Twitter by user Adam Omar, who claims the strange craft was recovered on Monday from Mogadishu’s Waabaeri district.
He said he obtained them after they appeared in local media reports in Somalia.
Based on two images, which are low quality and look dated, the craft is metallic and shaped like the silhouette of a large bird of prey, which would be able to glide high above without raising suspicion.
Somalia and the Gulf of Aden are in the path of migratory birds, including raptors such falcons and buzzards, which can be seen soaring overhead on their way to wintering grounds.
The wings of the craft are swept back, like the tips of a gliding bird of prey, and has a single propeller on each of the wings.
What type of surveillance capabilities the craft might have remains unclear, while the operator behind the drone is also a mystery.
It is also unclear whether the images are recent or whether they are older images which have been uploaded recently.
[In August 2011, photos emerged of a bird-like unmanned aircraft that went down because of a technical fault just inside Pakistani territory in Chaman town, in insurgency-hit Baluchistan province. And in September 2012 we reported on further images that surfaced. -Ed.]
Source Daily Mail