General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. had launched the MQ-1 Predator remotely piloted aircraft on its inaugural flight July 3, 1994, at the El Mirage Airfield in the Mojave Desert. By Aug. 26, Predators were being prepared to deploy in combat—within a year they would prove their value in Bosnia, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Syria, and Somalia. In April 1996, the U.S. Air Force was selected as the operating service for the Predator and used it as the primary remotely piloted aircraft for offensive operations until the introduction of the MQ-9 Reaper. The Predator was initially designated the RQ-1 Predator before the Air Force changed its designation to MQ-1.
A legislative standoff has led to a lapse in a $4.26 billion small business innovation contracting program widely used by the Air Force and could spell the end of it entirely, industry sources warned Air & Space Forces Magazine.
