The Marine was part of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Training Squadron 303, which trains pilots to fly the AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom helicopters.
Sgt. Colin Arslanbas, "an outstanding Marine and leader," was in a parachute accident during a predeployment certification exercise.
Fiscal 2023 marked the highest death rate for Army soldiers since the U.S. withdrew from Iraq in 2011, with a total of 14 dead across 10 accidents.
Maj. Shane Gentry used his real-world experience remotely piloting the MQ-9A in combat missions to train other Marines to fly the aircraft.
The Corps has 100 trained MQ-9A pilots but needs more.
Between 2004 and 2019, the Marine Corps recorded more than 1,500 aviation incidents involving bird or animal strikes.
Operations will continue during the mandated safety training period.
The Corps previously had planned to deploy the King Stallion with a Marine expeditionary unit in 2025.
The crash in Colorado comes just days after another Apache accident, and marks the fourth to occur in the last two months.
Welcome back, Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 269.
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