A US Air Force (USAF) commander says the new MQ-9 Reaper plane is adding to USAF capabilities in the airspace of Afghanistan and Iraq.
Officials say the medium-to-high altitude, long-endurance, remotely-piloted aircraft system, equipped with Raytheon's MTS-B multi-spectral targeting system, is designed to go after time-sensitive targets with the ability to destroy or disable those targets.
The MQ-9 Reaper has been flying daily missions over Afghanistan since late September. The 658th Aeronautical Systems Squadron (AESS), in the 303rd Aeronautical Systems Wing, was behind the team effort of getting the MQ-9 armed and airborne in Afghanistan.
The MQ-9 Reaper program evolved from the RQ/MQ-1 Predator program in an effort to carry more payloads.
"Our combined government and contractor team is very closely tied to our war fighter customers," said Debora Goenaga, director of the 658th AESS, in a statement.
"While every program at ASC [Airspace Control] is vital to the success of our air force, we consider ourselves fortunate to work at the front edge of this evolutionary technology, and it is a tremendous privilege to deliver this enabling capability to support the war on terrorism."
The MQ-9 Reaper's aircrew consists of a pilot and a sensor operator who operate from Creech Air Force Base in Nevada.
"It's a tremendous increase in our capability that will allow us to keep UAVs [Unmanned Aircraft Vehicles] over the airspace of Afghanistan and Iraq in the future for a very long time," said Lt. Gen. Gary L. North, commander of US Central Command Air Forces.
"This is just another evolutionary step, where technology is helping commanders on the battlefield to integrate great effects from the air into the ground commander's scheme of maneuver."
MQ-9 Reaper adding to USAF capabilities
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