USMC Conducts First Operational Flight Of MQ-9A Reaper UAS In The Middle East | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-04.14.25

Airborne-NextGen-04.15.25

AirborneUnlimited-04.16.25

Airborne-AffordableFliers-04.17.25

SunnFun-DayFour-04.03.25

Sun, Apr 19, 2020

USMC Conducts First Operational Flight Of MQ-9A Reaper UAS In The Middle East

The VMU-1 “Watchdog” Crews Took Control

U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) pilots and sensor operators from Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 1 (VMU-1) conducted their first operational flight of GA-ASI's MQ-9A Reaper UAS in the Middle East on March 20. 

The VMU-1 “Watchdog” crews took control of a Company Owned/Company Operated (COCO) MQ-9A supporting forward deployed Marines, while the GA-ASI team provided oversight.

This achievement by the USMC comes shortly after 7,000 hours of COCO flight operations since Sept. 2018 was surpassed.

“This achievement represents a unique milestone and example of the Marine Corps’ legacy of innovation,” says David R. Alexander, president, GA-ASI.

“As a partner with the Marine Corps, we look forward to expanding the role of Medium-altitude, Long-endurance (MALE) UAS in support of maritime littoral missions.”

To fulfill its urgent needs request for persistent Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) in Afghanistan, VMU-1 leases MQ-9A Reaper aircraft. As the USMC transitions its COCO MQ-9A contract to a Government Owned/Government Operated (GOGO) contract in the coming year, GA-ASI has been working with VMU-1.

According to GA-ASI, the GOGO capability fulfills the Commandant’s directive for USMC Group 5 persistent ISR capability with strike. VMU-1 will serve as the test bed and incubator to provide crucial information, lessons learned, requirements, tactics, techniques, and procedures that will help in the USMC efforts for the successful acquisition and fielding of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) UAS Expeditionary (MUX) Group 5 capability.

FMI: www.marines.mil

Advertisement

More News

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (04.15.25): On-Course Indication

On-Course Indication An indication on an instrument, which provides the pilot a visual means of determining that the aircraft is located on the centerline of a given navigational t>[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (04.15.25)

“The remaining infrastructure and staffing for this outdated method costs taxpayers millions of dollars annually to support the small number of pilots that have not converted>[...]

NTSB Prelim: Wild Sky LLC Goat

Weather Conditions Were “Very Gusty” At The Time Of The Accident On March 14, 2025, about 1515 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Wild Sky Goat light->[...]

Airborne 04.16.25: NYC Heli-Tour Shutdown, FAA Closing RCOs, A-26 Restoration

Also: Penguins Are Bad Pilots, DA42 Fleet Delivery, Coulson Expands, CAF SoCal Celebrates Spitfire 80th The FAA issued an emergency order shutting down New York Helicopter Charter,>[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (04.16.25)

"The FAA is taking this action in part because after the company’s director of operations voluntarily shut down flights, he was fired.... The review, known as a Certificate H>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC