14 DAY TRIAL // So, this is how Britain's most sophisticated unmanned surveillance system looks like. The mighty Reaper UAV has been deployed into active service in Afghanistan. So, what initially was designed for surveillance now is being used exclusively for military reconnaissance and ground-attack missions, working even on unarmed aircraft. According to Gizmag, the first of the RAF's high-altitude, long-endurance remotely piloted aircraft has already arrived in Afghanistan in early October.
The new UAV is the official UK version of the Predator B and has been developed in the joint US/UK Combined Predator Task Force. Gizmag reports that the Reaper UAVs were purchased to provide an all-weather, persistent Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) capability 24 hours a day over a "wide geographical spread", which means it can also perform some GPS function.
On the other hand, Sir Glenn Torpy, Chief of the Air Staff stated to Gizmag : "The introduction into service of Reaper is a major milestone for the RAF, which will significantly enhance the UK's surveillance and reconnaissance capability in Afghanistan."
On the other hand, USAF Chief of Staff, General Michael T Moseley reported: "We're pleased to be able to deliver these aircraft so quickly because they're vital to the coalition's war effort in Afghanistan. They're also yet another demonstration of the need for interoperability in our equipment. By partnering on the Reaper, our air forces can operate more seamlessly and field more aircraft faster and more economically."
Going back to August, US Airforce has officially announced the deployment of a new squadron of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) into combat zones in Afghanistan and Iraq. They reported a resistance of carrying a payload of about 4.000 pounds. Besides that, they said that the jet-fighter sized MQ-9 Reaper could fly at 300mph, reach 50.000 feet and stay airborne for 14 hours at a time.
Those were enough reasons to nickname it the "hunter-killer" UAV. And hey, that rally rocks, as it features Infrared, laser and radar targeting and the capability of deploying precision guided weapons. Well, this surely makes you wonder about the real purpose these beast are going to serve? oh yeah, sure, security issues ONLY!
