The Reaper headed to Iraq (and Iran?)
The newest unmanned robot bomber is headed to Afghanistan, Iraq (and possibly Iran?). This is very good news. "The MQ-9 Reaper, when compared with the 1995-vintage Predator, represents a major evolution of the unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV."
The airplane is the size of a jet fighter, powered by a turboprop engine, able to fly at 300 mph and reach 50,000 feet. It's outfitted with infrared, laser and radar targeting, and with a ton and a half of guided bombs and missiles. The Reaper is loaded, but there's no one on board. Its pilot, as it bombs targets in Iraq, will sit at a video console 7,000 miles away in Nevada. [snip]
The Reaper's first combat deployment is expected in Afghanistan, and senior Air Force officers estimate it will land in Iraq sometime between this fall and next spring. They look forward to it.
"With more Reapers, I could send manned airplanes home," North said.
The Associated Press has learned that the Air Force is building a 400,000-square-foot expansion of the concrete ramp area now used for Predator drones here at Balad, the biggest U.S. air base in Iraq, 50 miles north of Baghdad. That new staging area could be turned over to Reapers. [snip]
At five tons gross weight, the Reaper is four times heavier than the Predator. Its size — 36 feet long, with a 66-foot wingspan — is comparable to the profile of the Air Force's workhorse A-10 attack plane. It can fly twice as fast and twice as high as the Predator. Most significantly, it carries many more weapons.
While the Predator is armed with two Hellfire missiles, the Reaper can carry 14 of the air-to-ground weapons — or four Hellfires and two 500-pound bombs.
"It's not a recon squadron," Col. Joe Guasella, operations chief for the Central Command's air component, said of the Reapers. "It's an attack squadron, with a lot more kinetic ability." (Fox News)
Now this is what I'm talking about! Think of the possibilities with weapons like the Reaper. Fant-tastic!
Sounds like a plan, Ralph E.B. All we have to do is talk Washington into it.
Posted by: Debbie | July 16, 2007 at 05:01 PM
Snake Hunters sez,
The 'Reaper', grim news for the two loonys hiding in Wazeristan!
A few more of these gadgets
over the nuclear labs in Iran, and we can send the correct message to the Saudi
to stop building Wahhabi Hate Mosques & Madrassa before we have a full-on Armegeddon!
There's no substitute for Total Victory. reb
www.lazyonebenn.blogspot.com
Posted by: Ralph E. B | July 16, 2007 at 03:04 PM
This is VERY good news, Freedom Now, as I'm sure you agree. Just think of all the possibilities, I know I am.
Don't you love the name??? The REAPER!
Posted by: Debbie | July 16, 2007 at 01:22 PM
Thats one hell of a toy!!!
Geez!
Playing video games is great training for the warriors of the future.
Posted by: Freedom Now | July 16, 2007 at 12:43 PM