The future of the Air Force’s medium-altitude MQ-9 Reaper drone continues to generate substantial debate as to how it can best support the United States in a changing threat environment.
The future of the Air Force’s medium-altitude MQ-9 Reaper drone continues to generate substantial debate as to how it can best support the United States in a changing threat environment.
The thrust of the debate concerns the platform’s survivability: namely, is the larger, non-stealthy Reaper viable enough to remain effective in the kinds of high-end, contested environments where U.S. adversaries possess advanced air defenses and long-range sensors?
Undoubtedly, the Reaper has performed spectacularly and in an impactful way for many years, particularly when it comes to counterinsurgency and counterterrorism missions. For years, the Hellfire-armed Reaper drone has been effective in killing terrorists with precision strikes and maintaining that crucial intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) “persistent stare” above high threat areas.
Addressing members of Congress during a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense budget hearing, Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Charles Brown spoke about having the right mix of capabilities as it relates to maintaining and upgrading the current fleet and keeping pace with new threats. Brown was clear that the Reaper will remain part of the U.S. inventory, explaining that there will still be a critical role for the Reaper to play in permissive environments.
“The threat in the Middle East has been permissive, yet we will still need technology for less permissive environments,” Brown told lawmakers.
