Spy plane patrols increase
The U.S. military has reached a milestone with combat air patrols involving remotely piloted Predator spy planes, Air Force officials announced Tuesday.
The 24th combat air patrol for MQ-1 Predators was launched Thursday in the nation's overseas wars on terrorism, doubling last year's capability.
The milestone was reached two years ahead of the Pentagon's goal to have 21 around-the-clock Predator combat air patrols by 2010.
The Air Force has 76 Predators deployed for combat out of its fleet of some 100.
Last month in Iraq, Predators launched 11 airstrikes against insurgents and rocket sites. The 11 Predator attacks nearly doubled the previous high for one month.
Most of the Air Force's Predator spy planes plus a half dozen MQ-9 Reapers, the Predator's more heavily armed big brother, are assigned to Creech Air Force Base at Indian Springs, 45 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Each MQ-1 Predator can fire laser-guided Hellfire missiles.
Many of the armed Predator operations are controlled via satellite link by pilots and sensor operators at ground stations in Nevada and other locations in the United States after the planes are launched thousands of miles away destined for war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The "remote split operations" concept "allows greater effectiveness in supplying more full motion video directly to warfighters engaged in combat," the Air Force said in a news release Tuesday.
"The Predator teams have just been doing unbelievable work down there (in the international zone) and in Baghdad as well," Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of the U.S.-led coalition forces in Iraq, said in a statement.
"And, I think there's some path-breaking work ongoing here."
The Air Force release said that acceleration of Predator capability was attributable to delivery of more of the aircraft and "several personnel actions, including freezing Predator assignments and reassigning pilots from other aircraft duties to meet the growing demand of full motion video.
"The Air National Guard has also accelerated its Predator commitment in five states, operating six CAPs," combat air patrols, the release said.
Air Force plans call for the creation of a second Predator squadron and the establishment of an instructor course next year.
Contact reporter Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308.
