Air
Force Special Operations Command may well get its own Predator squadron as early as this fall. An AFSOC spokeswoman, Capt. Elizabeth Paul, said the new unit, comprising 24 of the unmanned aerial vehicle (or, for those already into the new nomenclature, UASes), may stand up soon at Creech AFB, Nev. Ultimately, USAF expects to have at least 15 Predator squadrons, many run by Air National Guard or Air Force Reserve Command personnel.
As the threat of Iranian-made drones grew, the Air Force rushed last year to equip F-15E Strike Eagles in the Middle East with a cheap, cost-effective way of defeating them. The service fielded the new capability in roughly a week.
