vol. 2, no. 6  Serving Southern Nevada’s military community, including Nellis, Creech and NTTR march 23, 2018

                        An Aerotech news And review publicAtion • www.Aerotechnews.com

Sun setting the MQ-1 Predator:

Combat RPAs bring the future faster

by Senior Airman James Thompson                                                                                                                                                                                                Air Force photograph by Senior Airman James Thompson
   Creech AFB, Nev.
   As the official retirement of the MQ-1    An MQ-9 Reaper flies a training mission, Feb. 14, 2018, at Creech Air Force Base, Nev. Airmen were able to seamlessly transition between
                                             platforms, which prevented a loss of MQ-9 capabilities for combatant commanders.
Predator has passed, many people are
reflecting on the new and innovative         for the purpose of achieving basic mis-      missions such as strike coordination and        Both processes ensure that all previ-
capabilities it provided on the battlefield  sion capable or combat mission ready         reconnaissance, dynamic targeting and        ous MQ-1 Airmen are able to seamlessly
over its tenure.                             status. Graduates will be trained to         combat search and rescue.                    transition between platforms, which
                                             perform the primary missions of ISR,                                                      prevents a loss of MQ-9 capabilities for
   Its shift from an intelligence, surveil-  air interdiction, and close air support.        Amidst the transition, previous MQ-1      combatant commanders.
lance and reconnaissance aircraft to a                                                    maintenance personnel were required
multi-role platform, further shaped the         Matthew recalls the first thing he        to become MQ-9 qualified through an             “Here at Creech, our Airmen faced
outlook of senior leaders and combatant      noticed after switching to the MQ-9 was      integrated training process which began      the challenge head on while remaining
commanders alike.                            a shift to a faster paced tactical mindset.  in February 2017.                            dedicated to preserving combat capa-
                                                                                                                                       bilities,” said Col. Julian Cheater, 432nd
   The MQ-1 revolutionized the Air              “Although MQ-1s have the capabil-            “Here at Creech, specifically this shop,  Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing
Force’s use of Remotely Piloted Aircraft     ity to strike, the MQ-9 was specifically     we are dual-qualified Airmen. That           commander. “Their resiliency and in-
in dynamic situations, inevitably paving     designed for attack situations and is in     means we work on the MQ-1 and the            novative spirit continues to be the driv-
the way for an all MQ-9 Reaper force.        demand from the ground commander             MQ-9,” said Staff Sgt. Jonathan, 432nd       ing force behind the Air Force’s ability
                                             due to its increased capability,” said       Maintenance Squadron. “We are going to       to find, fix and finish our adversaries
   As the MQ-1 fades into aviation his-      Matthew.                                     take everything positive that we learned     anytime, anyplace, anywhere.”
tory, the demand for combat RPAs hasn’t                                                   from the MQ-1 and carry that over to the
wavered. The MQ-9 is the more capable           In addition to attack capabilities,       MQ-9. We will apply everything that we          Editor’s note: This article is part three
successor to the MQ-1 and will replace       newly qualified aircrews will also be-       now know.”                                   of a four-part series.
all Predator combat lines in active areas    come familiar with secondary roles and
of responsibility.

   “The MQ-9 is much more capable be-
cause it allows for an increase payload,”
said Maj. Matthew, 22nd Attack Squad-
ron MQ-9 pilot. “When you look at the
basics, the MQ-9 is twice as fast with a
longer on-station loiter time, which is
exactly what the ground commanders
need.”

   The MQ-1 retirement ceremony was
held March 9 at Creech AFB, while the
transition from MQ-1 to MQ-9 will be
complete by the end of calendar year
2018. Airmen have prepared for the
change.

   RPA pilots and sensor operators have
already begun the Transition Track 4
Course to learn the platform differences
between the MQ-1 and MQ-9. Aircrew
must complete the training together in
order to become qualified in the new
major weapon system.

   Aircrew members will no longer be
qualified in the previous MWS, but
rather qualify on the MQ-9, and become
mission ready in two months.

   After the course, graduates will enter
unit-level mission qualification training

INSIDE: Commentary – 2; News – 3-6; Veterans – 8; Hometown Heroes – 9; Chapel – 16