Reaper flies first Iraq mission

Staff and Air Force News

Joint Base Balad, Iraq — The Air Force flew its first operational MQ-9 Reaper mission from here July 18, supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The integration of the Reaper into theater-flight operations significantly enhances the strike and close-air-support capabilities of airpower forces in Iraq.

The 3rd Special Operations Squadron, which operates Reapers and Predators, is being moved to Cannon Air Force Base from Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nev.

The Reapers and MQ-1 Predators will be flown remotely from a controlled center being built at Cannon.

The 300-member 3rd SOS is expected to by fully-manned by the fall, according to 27th Special Operations Wing officials. Officials said the squardron will be flying missions with Predator UAVs by the fall and are expecting the squadron to fly Reapers next year.

The Reaper has a unique combination of long loiter times and large payloads, integrating and synchronizing with other air assets in the complex battlespace facing commanders.

“The Reaper gives the joint warfighting tremendous airpower to bear on hostile forces who do not want the mission we share with the government in Iraq to succeed,” said Lt. Gen. Gary L. North, the Combined Force Air Component commander.

“Our experience with the Predator has already proven the intelligence value of the persistent stare — the ability to keep a target in your sights for multiple hours at a time,” General North said.

“The Reaper, as a close-air-support asset, expands beyond the concept of persistent stare to one of persistent strike. If the ground commander wants us to strike an enemy target, we can do that with precision weapons from the Reaper at the exact point where the ground commander wants a desired effect. It’s an incredibly powerful and flexible capability for the warfighting commander.”

U.S. Air Force Central’s Combined Air and Space Operations Center will continue to plan and execute Reaper sorties in Iraq based on the desired effects forwarded from ground commanders.

The Reaper’s powerful targeting pod is fully integrated into the existing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance architecture employed by the smaller MQ-1 Predator. Like the Predator, Reapers are primarily flown via satellite from the U.S.

Since its arrival in the U.S. Central Command theater in September 2007, flying sorties in Afghanistan, the Reaper has flown approximately 480 sorties, totally more than 3,800 hours. It has provided armed overwatch over Afghanistan and lethal strike capabilities, while minimizing collateral damage risks to friendly forces and civilian populations.

MQ-9 Reaper fast facts:

Mission

The MQ-9 Reaper is a medium-to-high altitude, long endurance remotely piloted aircraft system. The MQ-9’s primary mission is as a persistent hunter-killer against emerging targets to achieve joint force commander objectives. The MQ-9’s alternate mission is to act as an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance asset, employing sensors to provide real-time data to commanders and intelligence specialists at all levels.

Features

The typical system consists of several air vehicles, a ground control station, communication equipment/links, spares and personnel who can be a mix of active duty and contractor personnel. The crew for the MQ-9 is a pilot and a sensor operator, who operate the aircraft from a remotely located GCS. To meet combatant commanders’ requirements, the MQ-9 delivers tailored capabilities using mission kits that may contain various weapons and sensor payload combinations.

The MQ-9 baseline system has a robust sensor suite for targeting. Imagery is provided by an infrared sensor, a color/monochrome daylight TV and an image-intensified TV. The video from each of the imaging sensors can be viewed as separate video streams or fused with the IR sensor video. The laser rangefinder/designator provides the capability to precisely designate targets for laser-guided munitions. Synthetic aperture radar will enable Joint Direct Attack Munitions targeting. The aircraft is also equipped with a color nose camera, generally used by the pilot for flight control.

Each MQ-9 aircraft can be disassembled into main components and loaded into a container for air deployment worldwide in Air Force airlift assets such as the C-130. The MQ-9 air vehicle operates from standard U.S. airfields.

Background

The U.S. Air Force proposed the MQ-9 system in response to the Department of Defense request for Global War on Terrorism initiatives. It is larger and more powerful than the MQ-1 Predator and is designed to go after time-sensitive targets with persistence and precision, and destroy or disable those targets. The “M” is the Department of Defense designation for multi-role and “Q” means unmanned aircraft system. The “9” refers to the series of purpose-built remotely piloted aircraft systems.

In July 2004, the Air Combat Command Commander approved the MQ-9 Enabling Concept Document. The MQ-9 is operated by the 42nd Attack Squadron and based at Creech Air Force Base, Nev.