Crime & Safety

U.S. Air Force Drone Washes Up Near Boynton Beach: Report

A drone used for target practice by the U.S. Air Force washed up on the beach in the upscale community of Ocean Ridge Friday, reports said.

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A BQM-167A high-performance remote-controlled aerial target drone used by the U.S. Air Force is displayed during the 2014 Farnborough International Airshow in England. The same model drone washed up in Ocean Ridge, near Boynton Beach, in Florida Friday.
A BQM-167A high-performance remote-controlled aerial target drone used by the U.S. Air Force is displayed during the 2014 Farnborough International Airshow in England. The same model drone washed up in Ocean Ridge, near Boynton Beach, in Florida Friday. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

OCEAN RIDGE, FL — Beachgoers at Ocean Hammock Park in the upscale town of Ocean Ridge, which is near Boynton Beach, had a scare Friday when a U.S. Air Force drone washed ashore, the Palm Beach Post reported.

The orange unmanned BQM-167A drone was found around 7:30 a.m. and removed from the beach by about 1 p.m., reports said. Local authorities kept crowds away from the drone by taping off the area as they inspected it.

Someone walking the beach found the drone, took a picture of it and showed it to the marine enforcement officer at the beach, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.

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The drone was remotely launched from Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City, the Palm Beach Post reported. It’s used as an aerial target for fighter pilots and was shot down over the Gulf of Mexico near Eglin Air Force Base.

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