A new training initiative at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., is helping MQ-9 maintainers expand their specialties, essentially giving one Airman the skills of three to be able to generate sorties with minimal crews.
An Air Force MQ-9 went down in Yemen on April 25, the Pentagon confirmed, after Houthi rebels in that country claimed they shot it down with a missile. The crash marks the fifth MQ-9 brought down in the Middle East by hostile fire in the ...
A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 suffered an engine failure flying over Africa in May 2023, forcing the drone’s pilot to down it in the ocean where it was not recovered, according to a new Air Force report. The cost of the mishap was more than ...
A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper came close to being shot down by a German warship in a friendly fire incident over the Red Sea on Feb. 27, U.S. officials told Air & Space Forces Magazine. The USAF MQ-9 was targeted by the German frigate ...
A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper was shot down off the coast of Yemen, defense officials said Feb. 20. “Initial indications are that it was shot down by a Houthi surface-to-air missile,” Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters. It was the second time ...
An American MQ-9 Reaper drone crashed in northern Iraq on Jan. 18 as the U.S. continues to fend off attacks from Iran-backed militias, U.S. officials told Air & Space Forces Magazine. The MQ-9 was likely downed by an Iranian-provided surface-to-air missile fired by an Iranian-affiliated ...
The U.S. has been flying MQ-9 drones over Gaza as Washington is trying to gather information about American and other hostages held by Hamas and other militants there. The flights, which the Pentagon acknowledged Nov. 3, began after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel that ...
After a series of incidents in the skies over Syria, Russian pilots appear to have become less aggressive toward U.S. forces following the arrival of F-35 stealth multirole fighters to the Middle East, according to U.S. officials. Originally tasked to deter Iranian attacks on commercial ...
Twelve U.S. Air Force F-35s have arrived in the Middle East to beef up U.S. Central Command’s airpower in the region and deter Iran from seizing oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, the service announced July 26. The deployment of the aircraft also comes ...
A Russian fighter damaged a U.S. drone over Syria earlier this week, the top Air Force commander for the region said July 25, in the latest escalation between American and Russian aircraft. The incident took place at approximately 7:23 am Syria time on July 23. ...
After three straight days of harassment by Russian fighters, U.S. MQ-9s conducted an airstrike that killed an ISIS leader in Syria on July 7, U.S. Central Command and Air Forces Central said. The strike was conducted by the same MQ-9s that were confronted by Russian ...
Russian fighters dropped flares in front of U.S. MQ-9s over Syria on two consecutive days in escalating tactics intended to disrupt U.S. operations in "a new level" of aggressive behavior by Russian forces, according to U.S. officials. "We urge Russian forces in Syria to cease ...