Israeli media reports say Tel Aviv has shot down one of its drones over the Egyptian border due to a technical failure.

Hermes 450 drone, which is one of Israel’s primary means of espionage and collection of aerial images, was shot down over the border area on Sunday night due to engine malfunction, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

The report added that the flight operators noticed the breakdown and decided to perform a controlled crash on the Israeli side of the border.

The daily also said Israeli security forces combed the region and collected the remains of the aircraft.

The Israeli military is reportedly investigating the cause of the malfunction, which most likely originated from its engine.

A similar incident occurred in May, when the Israeli regime shot down one of its own Heron-class drones, known as “Shovel” over the Mediterranean Sea following an engine malfunction.

On July 7, an Israeli F-16 warplane crashed into the Mediterranean Sea following an engine malfunction.

The US-made F-16, which is Israel’s latest and most advanced warplane, crashed west of the Gaza Strip during a training flight.

According to an Israeli military spokesman, the plane’s two crew members, the pilot and the navigator, parachuted into the sea and were rescued.

Following the incident, Israeli military grounded all its F-15 and F-16 warplanes.

In October 2012, the Israeli military grounded its entire fleet of aircraft for a day in the wake of a number of near-miss incidents during training flights.

In January 2012, a different type of a Heron-class drone, known as “Eitan,” also crashed in southern Israel while on a test flight.

Source: Press TV