Mr Gabkwet said the NAF had intensified efforts to minimise the activities of oil thieves and other economic saboteurs in the Niger Delta.
The NAF spokesman said the crash occurred while the drone took off for a mission near Rumji village in Kaduna.
The Nigeria Air Force says the components of Operations Hadarin Daji and Hadin Kai killed 30 terrorists in airstrikes in their hideouts in Katsina and Borno.
NAF could not confirm whether the alleged terrorist kingpin Alhaji Na-Shama of Ussu village was among the victims.
NAF said Monday it killed several Boko Haram/Islamic States of West Africa Province terrorists in airstrikes in the Tumbuns on the fringes of Lake Chad in Borno.
“To be resilient in our operations, we must proactively address maintenance and logistics support for all our fleet.”
The Nigerian Air Force says it destroyed boats laden with stolen crude oil as part of efforts to thwart oil theft in the Niger Delta region.
The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, says the military has decimated insurgents and other criminal elements terrorising the country.
