Two injured after drone hits US warship off Southern California

The USS Chancellorsville

The US Navy says that two American sailors have been injured after a drone malfunctioned and struck a guided missile cruiser off the coast of Southern California.

The incident happened during a military exercise off the coast of Point Mugu on Saturday afternoon.

Lt. Lenaya Rotklein of the US Third Fleet said the sailors aboard the USS Chancellorsville were using the drone to test the ship's radar-tracking system.

The ship which sustained some damage was heading back to Naval Base San Diego so that officials could assess the damage, according to Rotklein.

The US Navy was investigating the cause of the incident.

The drone, a 13-foot-long aircraft with a wingspan of nearly 6 feet, was being controlled from Point Mugu.

AGB/HJ