Page 1 - Desert Lightning News, Nellis-Creech AFB Edition, April 29, 2022

vol. 5, no. 9 Serving Southern Nevada’s military community, including Nellis, Creech and NTTR April 29, 2022 An Aerotech news And review publicAtion • www.Aerotechnews.com
‘Thank you for smoking:’
Creech Hunters host REAPER SMOKE 2022 exercise, crowning ‘best of the best’ MQ-9 aircrew
by Capt. Stephen J. Collier
Creech AFB, Nev.
Nearly 45 MQ-9 Reaper crews from across the United States entered the flight simulators at Creech Air Force Base, Nev., April 6-7, 2022 — And only one crew emerged on top.
Testing these remotely piloted aircraft pi- lots and sensor operators, REAPER SMOKE 2022 pitted dozens of aircrews against each other from more than 35 separate squadrons for the chance to be known throughout the RPA community as simply “the best.”
Now in its third iteration, REAPER SMOKE evaluates crews on a number of cri- teria, to include crew resource management, weapons precision, team coordination, and Airmanship. And according to Lt. Col. Brent, each criteria was specifically identi- fied because of their critical importance to
everyday, real-world mission requirements. “Our Airmen executed a complex tactical plan with minimal time to prepare, by rely- ing on core RPA skills necessary to execute our mission, anytime, anywhere,” said Brent, 17th Attack Squadron Chief of Cur- rent Operations and mission commander for this year’s exercise. “REAPER SMOKE embodies a variety of tactical requirements that RPA crews should be able to perform, and will likely need to perform in a near-
peer fight.”
To kick off the event, aircrews gathered
together at the base’s Owl’s Nest community center to hear opening remarks from visit- ing Brig. Gen. Stewart Hammons, Air Force Director of RPA and Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance capabili- ties, and one of the service’s top RPA advo- cates. Hammons highlighted to the aircrews how important it was to continue honing
U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kristal Munguia
Airmen fly in an MQ-9 Reaper simulator during Reaper Smoke 2022 at Creech Air Force Base, Nev., April 6, 2022. Nearly 45 MQ-9 Reaper crews from across the United States competed in the base’s flight simulators April 6-7 here.
Airmen listen to opening comments at Reaper Smoke 2022 at Creech Air Force Base, Nev., April 6, 2022. Nearly 45 MQ-9 Reaper crews from across the United States competed in the base’s flight simulators April 6-7 here.
U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kristal Munguia
their skills so they’re ready to answer the call from combatant commanders at any time. The notion resonated with Senior Airman Coby, an MQ-9 sensor operator with the 15th Attack Squadron “Pigeons”.
“I thought it was pretty fun,” said Coby on his involvement in REAPER SMOKE. “We got to take a break from what our regular operations are at the squadron. When you look at the overall impact, it was very rewarding.”
Soon after, the crews circulated in and out of the base’s RPA simulator building. Each crew had loaded a pre-scripted mis- sion for each to be graded equally on. This meant crews had to focus on operational planning prior to their missions, then had to perform as flawlessly as possible on co- ordinating a simulated strike. Lastly, crews would be graded on the accuracy of their strike, with evaluators capturing scores behind the scenes.
And with a final score of 65 out of 160, this year’s REAPER SMOKE top crew was Capt. Spencer and Tech. Sgt. Nick, repre- senting the 138th Attack Squadron with the
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