First All-UAV Air Force Combat Wing Takes to the Skies Sans Pilots Over Iraq

Last workweek , the 174th Air Force Fighter Wing flew its last manned combat sally over Iraq in F-16s , which have now been mothballed in favor of MQ-9 Reapers . This makes it the first combat - specific backstage to ditch conventional aircraft solely and toward a military group of allunmanned robo - dronespiloted from the ground . Welcome to the Skynet era , everyone !

There are a few Wings currently manned by Predator UAVs , which can indeed carry Hellfire missiles , but unlike the harvester , their main foreign mission is reconnaissance . Quite the contrary , the Reaper is the first true hunting watch - killer UAV , and its 66 - fundament wingspan and the ability to pack up to 1.5 tons of laser - guided bomb and other ordnances makes the Predator look like a fluttering sparrow .

And over Iraq , the Reaper can do the targeting - pod recon and close - air support that man jets most usually ascertain themselves tasked with at a fraction of the cost ( Reapers cost $ 18 million each , liken to three times that much for an F-16 ) . Not to observe without the operational expenses or potential danger to the pilot film , who can be in Las Vegasmunching Taco Bellwith their families . [ scheme Pagevia/. ]

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