Indian Navy's remotely piloted aircraft crashes during take off at Kochi

A remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) of the Indian Navy crashed while taking off from the Kochi Naval Base, an officer said.

The RPA was taking off from the north of the naval airfield at Willingdon island on a routine mission when it crashed. The incident occurred around 10.25 am on Tuesday.

A board of inquiry has been constituted to look into the cause of the accident, said the officer.

Willingdon Islands is the largest artificial island in India.

In July, a Searcher reconnaissance UAV of the Indian Navy had to be ditched around nine miles off Kochi following a "critical engine malfunction".