Operators of the MQ-1B Predator remotely piloted vehicle assigned to the 432nd Wing at Creech AFB, Nev., have surpassed 700,000 flying hours, achieving 200,000 of that in just over 12 months. The record flight occurred March 12. The RPV’s first 250,000 hours came over a period of 12.5 years, and the next 250,000 in 19 months. Col. Peter Gersten, commander of the 432nd Wing and the 432nd Air Expeditionary Wing, noting that the unit’s Predator fleet “had averaged over 16,500 hours per month,” said, “This incredible rate is a testament to our commitment, as Hunters, to keeping our ground troops safe under our watchful eye.” The unit also operates the newer and larger MQ-9 Reaper, which surpassed 80,000 flying hours the first week in March. (432nd Wing report)
While U.S. defense officials have spent much of the past decade warning that China is the nation’s pacing threat and its People’s Liberation Army represents an urgent threat in the Indo-Pacific, several defense researchers are skeptical that the PLA has the human capital, the structural ability, or the political appetite…