In the late 1990s, the United States military began using the RQ-1 Predator to support ground forces in Yugoslavia, in the first instance of unmanned aircraft systems providing persistent surveillance to military forces. In 2002, the RQ-1 began serving in a combat role (which thus changed the system designation to MQ-1: “R” meaning Reconnaissance and “M” meaning Multi-role, and “Q” meaning unmanned aircraft system) as part of the invasion of Afghanistan, launching airstrikes on ground targets. Soon after, in 2007, the MQ-9A Reaper reached initial operating capability in the US Air Force
The Customs and Border Protection MQ-9 Program
The Customs and Border Protection MQ-9…
The Customs and Border Protection MQ-9 Program
In the late 1990s, the United States military began using the RQ-1 Predator to support ground forces in Yugoslavia, in the first instance of unmanned aircraft systems providing persistent surveillance to military forces. In 2002, the RQ-1 began serving in a combat role (which thus changed the system designation to MQ-1: “R” meaning Reconnaissance and “M” meaning Multi-role, and “Q” meaning unmanned aircraft system) as part of the invasion of Afghanistan, launching airstrikes on ground targets. Soon after, in 2007, the MQ-9A Reaper reached initial operating capability in the US Air Force