ADVERTISEMENT

Reaper Benefits of Cooperation

Feb. 5, 2015

NATO’s new MQ-9 Reaper Users Group met for the first time in Paris this week to share cooperative ISR capabilities, French air force officials announced. USAF Reaper operators along with Britain’s Royal Air Force, the French Armee de l’Air, and Italian Aeronautica Militare are primarily discussing collaboration on remotely piloted aircraft airspace integration, training, simulation, and support, according to a Feb. 4 release. The group aims to cooperatively defray MQ-9 operational costs and enhance interoperability, in addition to sharing operational concepts, and pooling training, logistics, and operational simulation, according to the release. NATO already operates an Alliance E-3A AWACS component, and is enhancing allied airborne ISR with the acquisition of an Alliance Ground Surveillance system based on the RQ-4 Global Hawk. The Netherlands is planning to send its first MQ-9 crews to Holloman AFB, N.M., to begin training ahead of the Royal Netherlands Air Force receiving MQ-9s in 2015, IHS Jane’s reported.

Related Content

Kadena Sends ‘Message You Can’t Ignore’ with Huge Elephant Walk

May 9, 2025
The Air Force displayed all the firepower it has amassed on Okinawa in an unusually diverse show of force this week. IIn a May 6 “Elephant Walk,” Kadena Air Base showcased 24 F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters, eight F-15E Strike Eagles; two U.S. Army Patriot anti-missile batteries near the runway; and…

New Study: Air Force Needs to Work Now on How to Sustain CCAs in the Field

May 8, 2025
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.

SPACECOM Wants to Be Dynamic in Orbit. The Question Is How

May 8, 2025
U.S. Space Command is still passionate about the idea of being able to maneuver satellites in orbits without worrying about conserving fuel. But how exactly to achieve that remains unsettled as the combatant command works with the Pentagon’s acquisition enterprise, SPACECOM’s deputy commander said. 

Pentagon Opening the Throttle on New Rules for Software 

May 8, 2025
The Department of Defense is pushing ahead with a plan to automate and streamline the system it uses to ensure that software running on military networks is secure, and will start implementation next month, acting Chief Information Officer Katie Arrington said May 7. 

New B-52 Radar Program Has Nunn-McCurdy Cost Breach, May Be Reduced in Scope

May 8, 2025
The B-52 Radar Modernization Program has incurred a Nunn-McCurdy breach, with a cost estimate increase of more than 15 percent, the Air Force said. A breach of that magnitude won’t require the Secretary of Defense to certify the program as critical to national defense, but the program may be reduced…

What the Supreme Court’s Transgender Ban Really Means

May 7, 2025
The Supreme Court's May 6 decision to grant the Trump administration's request to block a lower court's injunction means the Defense Department can resume separating transgender service members under a directive issued in February.