On December 10th, 1998 the council of ministers approved the acquisition of three B-Hunter UAV-systems, each consisting of 6 aircraft and two ground control stations. The Unmanned Aerial Vehicles replace the MBLE "Epervier" UAVs that were struck of charge in September 1999. The B-Hunters systems are normally based at Elsenborn while some three aircraft are detached to Koksijde airbase on a regular basis to perform pollution control missions in the Belgian territorial waters.
271 c/n BH271
260301: first validation flight at Elsenborn
180702: officially taken on charge
220605-281005: deployed to Tuzla (Bosnia) for Operation "Watchfull Eyes"
220605-281005: deployed to Tuzla (Bosnia) for Operation "Watchfull Eyes"
110706: arrived N'Dolo (Kinshasa) for EUFOR-operation in RD Congo (yellow high visilibility markings applied)
031006: Crash after take-off from N'Dolo. Apparently the pilot was afraid the aircraft would not get airborne in time before the end of the runway, and he switched off both engines, but as the aircraft was already in the air it crashed a few hundred metres after the end of the runway on Boulevard Triomphal. One woman on the ground was killed and at least three others were injured.
110706: arrived N'Dolo (Kinshasa) for EUFOR-operation in RD Congo
280706: Shot down on its first three-hour shakedown flight in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) following the type's deployment to the DRC on July 12 in support of EUFOR Congo. Part of the UAV fell in the Congo River; the rest struck a house and started a fire, injuring six people on the ground. The UAV was flying at 1300ft (400m) over marshland near Kinshasa/N'Dolo Airport when a lone gunman with a known criminal record apparently took a single shot at it with his Kalashnikov AK-47. By sheer misfortune, the bullit hit the left side of fuselage and then entered the wing root and struck the wing spar, destroying it and causing the wing to fold up.
091007: After several landing attempt and facing unapropriate weather conditions for a standard automatic landing procedure the 80 UAV Sqn staff has simply opted for the pre-programmed - but seldomly practized - emergency procedure: a parachute landing in a predetermined area of the airbase, and, everything went OK. Despite it doesn't present any external dammage the BH-288 will be closely inspected in the next days by the 80 UAV Sqn maintenance and should be back in the air very soon.