A pilot with aerospace defense contractor Draken International died after one of its aircraft assigned to Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, crashed in north Las Vegas around 2:30 p.m. local time, according to base officials.
The aircraft was owned and operated by Draken US, and used in support of adversary air training, base officials said Monday, Military.Com reported.
The Florida-based company confirmed that the pilot died in the crash.
“The pilot’s identity has not yet been released; no other personnel were on board,” Draken said in a separate statement. “The men and women of Team Nellis send our deepest condolences to the teammates, friends and family of our Draken wingman.”
Draken did not identify the type of jet involved in the accident. The company is cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board and other agencies as they conduct their crash investigation.
The Clark County Fire Department and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police responded to the scene, according to Fox 5 KVVU-TV News. Videos posted on social media show a black plume of smoke near a residential area roughly four miles south of the base.
Nellis Air Force Base is home of the annual Red Flag training exercise, which prepares pilots and crew for warfighting scenarios across the globe. The base is also home to the Air Force Thunderbirds F-16 demonstration team.
Multiple defense companies also operate from the base for aggressor training, in which pilots -- often US military retirees -- simulate fighting as enemy "red air" forces against active-duty Air Force pilots in air-to-air training.
RHM/PR
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