An MQ-9 Reaper sits on a ramp in Afghanistan Oct. 1. The Reaper is launched, recovered and maintained at deployed locations, while being remotely operated by pilots and sensor operators at Creech Air Force Base, Nev. (Courtesy photo)
Posted on 10/11/2007 5:52:23 PM PDT by SandRat
10/11/2007 - WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- The Air Force announced Oct. 11 that the MQ-9 Reaper, the service's new hunter-killer unmanned aerial vehicle, is now flying operational missions in Afghanistan. The Reaper has completed 12 missions since its inaugural flight there Sept. 25, averaging about one sortie per day.
Capable of striking enemy targets with on-board weapons, the Reaper has conducted close-air support and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
Operational use of Reaper's advanced capabilities marks a step forward in the evolution of unmanned aerial systems. Air Force quality assurance evaluators gave a "thumbs up" to the aircraft's debut performance and have been pleased with its operation ever since.
"The Reaper is a significant evolution in capability for the Air Force," said Gen. T. Michael Moseley, Air Force chief of staff. "We've taken these aircraft from performing mainly as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms to carrying out true hunter-killer missions."
The Reaper is larger and more heavily-armed than the MQ-1 Predator. In addition to its traditional ISR capabilities, it is designed to attack time-sensitive targets with persistence and precision, and destroy or disable those targets. To date, Reaper operators have not been called upon to drop their weapons on enemy positions.
Like the Predator, the Reaper is launched, recovered and maintained at deployed locations, while being remotely operated by pilots and sensor operators at Creech Air Force Base, Nev. That is where the resemblance ends. The MQ-9 has nearly nine times the range, can fly twice as high and carries more munitions.
"It's a tremendous increase in our capability that will allow us to keep UAVs over the airspace of Afghanistan and Iraq in the future for a very long time," said Lt. Gen. Gary North, commander of U.S. Central Command Air Forces, who said the Reaper was a perfect complement to the Air Force's existing manned airborne platforms. "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."
General North added that he expects the Reaper to bring a significant impact to military operations throughout the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.
"The enemy knows we track them and they know that if and when they commit acts against their people and government, we will take action against them," General North said. "The Reaper is an incredible weapon in our quiver."
Approved by Air Combat Command in 2004, the Air Force currently has nine Reapers in its inventory.
FR WAR NEWS! “Don’t fear the Reaper,” unless you are one of the bad guys.
This thread needs more cowbell.
Looks pretty grim to me...
These unmanned vehicles are doing some great work over there.
It’s amazing. I have seen the videos. Our guys just watch, and then they hit.
Of course we have guys who trod through the sand and the dirt. What they do is even more amazing.
Our entire military just leaves me in awe.
Re “Don’t fear the Reaper”.
I think this is a cousin of mine.
Madmax, the Grinning Reaper
Will one day, these UAL’s be able to fly higher than manned fighter jets, and be able to take out enemies fighters without the need to dogfight ? or high enough that the enemy can’t take it out. ?
I meant,, UAVs
Who knows,... think Jules Verne, science fiction to science fact.
I watched a TV show once about non lethal riot control and they eventually decided that the more non lethal methods they had, the more inclined they were to use it and the less inclined the masses were to protest. So "free speech" was almost non existent after they were able to "zap" the protesters.
In the same vein, we may strike foreign targets that are just for economic or other purposes other than self defense. Kinda like Clinton striking aspirin factories to change the subject on the front page.
>it is designed to attack time-sensitive targets with persistence and precision, and destroy or disable those targets.
But will we be allowed to use it without waiting for a cloud of lawyers to rubber stamp approval?
These kind of vehicles certainly take the fight to an enemy that moves fast, in rugged terrain. Hardly fun duty I’d imagine running up one hill, then another, to find folks. Just to be shot at in ambush. These things probably have infrared, and take the fun out of the booby trap.
What?...if we had to use these against enemy combatants, do you think we’re gonna worry about their ‘free speech’... Free speech applies to our Constitution, where does it say we have to protect our enemy’s free speech?..
As for use against economic targets ?...darn right..remember Ploesti in WW II—knocked out Germany’s oil supply; ditto their ball bearing factories..’Course to a RAT like Clinton, knocking out an aspirin factory would make sense because the enemy would be deprived of a cheap headache remedy... but they would still have their free speech.
Just for the sake of discourse...you asked,you got a reply...cheers
These killer sheep are planned to be parachuted into remote Islamic redoubts. The idea is that the robot sheep will present themselves in an attractive and suggestive way to the Islamist. When the Islamist attempt to ‘capture’ the little vixens, they blow up, thereby killing the terrorists.
The Killer Robot Sheep have long loiter times, are cheap and deadly.
The development program was tested on Marines whom found the little ruminates, “Sexy, yet non threatening”.
Further Robot Sheep are being designed for terrorists capture, or ‘snatch’ operations.
ping
Shoulda called it Azrael...
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