The
Air Force said Thursday afternoon that it is flying its new hunter-killer unmanned aerial vehicle, the MQ-9 Reaper, in Southwest Asia. The UAV has completed 12 close air support and ISR missions since it began flying in Afghanistan on Sept. 25. The Reaper can carry more weapons and has nine times the range of its smaller brethren the MQ-1 Predator. Like the Predator, deployed crews maintain, launch, and recover the Reaper and US-based crews fly the missions. Pilots and sensor operators with the newly reactivated 432nd Wing at Creech AFB, Nev., operate the Reaper.
America Must Resource Its Spacepower Advantage
March 2, 2025
The Department of Defense’s directive to reapportion 8 percent of its spending to Trump administration priorities presents distinct opportunities and challenges. However, in seeking to realign funding, leaders must be careful not to cut to the bone of core capabilities and capacity. Nowhere is this more germane than in the…
