The Air Force has designated Ogden Air Logistics Center on the grounds of Hill AFB, Utah, as the site of depot maintenance work for MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles, the Utah Congressional delegation announced yesterday. “UAVs are the weapon systems of the future and Hill is getting in on the ground floor and will be a leader in UAV depot maintenance,” said Sen. Orrin Hatch (R) in a joint release with Sen. Bob Bennett (R), Rep. Rob Bishop (R), and Rep. Jim Matheson (D). According to them, Ogden will be responsible for the disassembly and reassembly of MQ-1s and MQ-9s for depot maintenance, including inspecting and repairing the components that encompass these airframes. It will also perform depot work on the Predator’s ground data terminal, primary satellite link, ground control station, and multi-spectral targeting system. And, it will be responsible for the Reaper’s command, control, and communications element, landing gear, and structural elements that require bonding repair technology. This same Utah delegation sent a letter to the Air Force in February 2008 calling for Hill to be selected as a UAV depot hub.
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…