The US Air Force’s MQ-1B Predator remotely piloted aircraft surpassing 700,000 flight hours on 12 March, while being flown by airmen of the 432nd Air Expeditionary Wing.
432nd Wing and 432nd Air Expeditionary Wing commander Col. Peter Gersten said that remotely piloted aircraft were one of the most-demanded assets on today’s battlefield.
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Equipped with two laser-guided AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, the MQ-1B provides armed reconnaissance, airborne surveillance and target acquisition to commanders in the field.
It also carries the multispectral targeting system, which integrates electro-optical, infrared, laser designators and illuminators into a single sensor package.
The unarmed version of the Predator, known as RQ-1, was recently used to provide key intelligence to relief officials to help direct resources to earthquake victims in Haiti.
