Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Reaper makes history at Eglin

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – An MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft fired a Hellfire missile at a sea-going target for the first time in a maritime test at Eglin Air Force Base. The test was during Eglin’s Weapons Systems Evaluation Program over the Gulf of Mexico on March 16. The missile hit a boat that was being towed by another remotely-controlled vessel. Lt. Col. Scott Logan, commander of the 86th Fighter Weapons Squadron, said no other test range has the capacity to do this type of maritime testing. Testing will be done throughout the week on A-10s, F-16s, F-15Es, MQ-9s, and some F-35s. Operations will continue through March 19. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News 03/17/15)