An MQ-9 Reaper hunter/killer unmanned aerial vehicle last week dropped its first precision guided munition during operations over Afghanistan. SSgt. Trevor Tiernan reports that the Reaper, which USAF sent to Southwest Asia in September and which performed its first strike—using a Hellfire missile—last month, responded to a request for assistance from ground forces on Nov. 7 during a reconnaissance flight. The joint terminal attack controller working with coalition ground forces in Afghanistan provided targeting data to the Reaper’s pilot and sensor operator at Creech AFB, Nev. The pilot released two GBU-12 500-pound laser-guided bombs, taking out the enemy fighters.
A few weeks after downing swarms of drones to defend Israel from Iran, the 494th Fighter Squadron is back home at RAF Lakenheath, U.K.—and sporting some intriguing new paint. Publicly released photos from the Air Force show the F-15E Strike Eagles returning to their home at the 48th Fighter Wing…