In a groundbreaking operation, the United States Air Force and Air National Guardsmen successfully conducted a satellite-controlled landing of an MQ-9 Reaper drone at Shaw Air Force Base. This landmark event marks a significant shift from traditional, manpower-intensive control methods towards more efficient, satellite-guided operations, signaling a new standard in unmanned aerial system (UAS) deployment. Despite the technological advancement, the operation emphasized the extensive human coordination required, from FAA compliance to mission planning. This achievement not only demonstrates the MQ-9's versatile capabilities but also its role in enhancing rapid, global deployment strategies for the U.S. military.

Earlier this month, United States Air Force Airmen from the 50th Attack Squadron and Air National Guardsmen from the 163rd Attack Wing conducted a successful landing of an MQ-9 Reaper at Shaw Air Force Base (AFB) under satellite control.

Satellite-controlled landings are set to become standard practice for the MQ-9 community, replacing legacy processes that require additional ground control stations, aircrews, and maintenance support.

Though the MQ-9 remains among the most used unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in service today, it is important to note that it still requires a lot of human interaction. Every turn, every climb, every descent, every airspeed change is still controlled by a human operating the aircraft from a great distance.

"It is so much more than just moving an airplane from one spot to another," explained Lt. Col. Zachary Clarke, 50th ATKS commander. "There's coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, there's coordination with the departure unit, with the arrival unit, there's coordination with finding the flight plan, and then back that up even further, you've got all the mission planning that has to be accomplished. You've got the weather planning, planning the flight plan, and then you also have to add in the satellite launch and recovery."

Fear the MQ-9 Repear

It was last year that the United States Air Force announced that the MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft conducted the first touchdown on a dirt landing zone. It occurred at the Nine Mile Training Center, a remote unpaved strip in West Texas, south of Fort Stockton. The facility is one of the largest private armed forces training centers in the country, and the expansive terrain is employed to provide privacy from prying eyes.

Historically the MQ-9 had only taken off and landed via line-of-sight of antennas, with aircrew members manually flying the aircraft. That test confirmed how the MQ-9 can literally takeoff and land from anywhere in the world.

This recent flight at Shaw AFB further served as a proof of concept demonstrating the Reaper's ability to employ satellite launch and recovery capability. That could enable remotely piloted aircraft to get to any location in the world and set up an operation rapidly, in line with Agile Combat Employment.

A Better Predator

Designed as a follow-up to the MQ-1 Predator, the Reaper can carry a great deal of ordnance, which allows it to fulfill the "hunter" component of a hunter-killer drone. Reapers can carry double the amount of Hellfire missiles that the Predator could carry, while the MQ-9 can also carry up to 500 pounds of bombs.

The MQ-9 can also employ up to eight laser-guided missiles. The Air-to-Ground Missile-114 Hellfire possesses highly accurate, low-collateral damage, anti-armor, and anti-personnel engagement capabilities. Even as the U.S. Air Force seeks to develop more autonomous and capable drones, the MQ-9 has continued to be updated and enhanced.