The Army has confirmed that one of its Blackhawk helicopters hit a drone while patrolling over New York City on Thursday. The collision occurred about 7:30 p.m. over Staten Island, Fox News reported. The station obtained photos of the marks left behind by the drone along with one of its rotor arms. Debris was found in the oil cooler and there were marks on the fuselage and rotor blades.
The helicopter was at about 500 feet providing security for the U.N. General Assembly when it hit the drone, said Lt. Col. Joe Buccino of the 82nd Airborne in Fort Bragg. Mechanics swapped out the rotor blades and put the Blackhawk into service the next day.
