US Air Force inducts hunter-killer UAV, MQ-9 Reaper, in Afghanistan

Washington: The US Air Force has announced 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 on 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.

According to the USAF, making the Reaper''s advanced capabilities operational marks a tremendous step forward in the evolution of unmanned aerial systems. "The Reaper is a significant evolution in capability for the Air Force," said Air Force chief of staff T. Michael Moseley. "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 and in addition to its traditional ISR capabilities, is designed to attack time-sensitive targets with persistence and precision, and destroy or disable those targets.

The USAF said that to date, Reaper operators have not been called upon to drop their weapons on enemy positions.

Like the MQ-1 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, Nevada. However, 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 US Central Command Air Forces, who noted 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 manoeuvre."

General North added that he expects the Reaper to bring a significant impact to military operations throughout the US 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. The Reaper is an incredible weapon in our quiver," said General North.

Approved by Air Combat Command in 2004, the Air Force currently has nine Reapers in its inventory.