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  • Phantom of Takur Ghar: The Predator above Roberts Ridge

    A once quiet landscape turned battlefield, the clash of gunfire and shouts ripped through the Shahi-Kot Valley in the early hours of March 4, 2002. As part of an early war effort that targeted al Qaeda and Taliban forces in Afghanistan, the Battle of Roberts Ridge is still known as one of the

  • Sun setting the MQ-1 Predator: The final salute

    The Air Force held the MQ-1 Predator’s official retirement ceremony with Airmen from the 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing, Remotely Piloted Aircraft enterprise leaders, and MQ-1 alumni March 9, 2018, at Creech. The MQ-1 ceremony included the final local flight by the Airmen of the 489th

  • Sun setting the MQ-1 Predator: A history of innovation

    The MQ-1 Predator is a Remotely Piloted Aircraft flown by aircrew assigned to the 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing at Creech and units around the world. It has contributed to the U.S. warfighting efforts in unprecedented ways and is scheduled to sunset on March 9, 2018 as the Air Force

  • Inspired by air show, boy becomes USAF pilot

    Inspiration can be fleeting or it can be enduring. As seven-year-old boy, Richard felt this powerful drive during a family outing to an air show, he had no idea it would shape his future career helping him become a U.S. Air Force pilot. "Lethbridge was the first air show I went to when I was a kid,”

  • Bulls celebrate 75 years of aviation excellence

    For the past 75 years, the 17th Attack Squadron Bulls have played an integral part in the defense of the nation by providing combatant commanders with reconnaissance capabilities, and more recently, with precision attack capabilities. On July 23, 1942, in the midst of World War II, the 17th

  • Premier MQ-1, MQ-9 Wing changes hands

    The men and women of the leading MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper wing welcomed their new commander during the 432nd Wing change of command ceremony July 6, 2017, at Creech AFB. Col. Julian Cheater assumed command from Col. Case Cunningham in front of a crowd of Airmen, peers and family members while

  • Cleared hot: When predators and reapers engage

    Following the mission brief and pre-flight checks, an aircrew consisting of an officer pilot in command and a career enlisted aviator sensor operator observe a target in an area of responsibility overseas from a cockpit in the United States and waits for the green light from a joint terminal attack

  • Total Force wingmen enable MQ-1, MQ-9 mission

    In the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper community, active duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Airmen incorporate as a total force integration to provide 60 combat lines or 60 aircraft in the air, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. This team of aircrew, maintenance and other

  • MQ-1, MQ-9 aircrews help liberate Manbij

    In 2016 MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper aircrews assisted coalition partners in the reclamation of Manbij, Syria, from Islamic State of Iraq and Syria forces. Pilots and sensor operators assigned to squadrons across the 432nd Wing and the 432nd Air Expeditionary Wing provided the close air support and

  • NEWS RELEASE: MQ-1B PREDATOR ACCIDENT REPORT RELEASED

    A mechanical failure leading the engine to overheat caused the crash of an MQ-1B Predator Oct. 19, 2015, according to an Abbreviated Accident Investigation Board report released today.  The aircraft was conducting a surveillance mission in support of Operation Inherent Resolve at an undisclosed

  • It takes a team to fly a Predator

    They may not see it, but U.S. service members and their enemies are directly impacted by MQ-1 Predators on the field of battle nearly constantly.These remotely piloted aircraft have two purposes: collecting intelligence and destroying enemy targets, and they are exceedingly good at accomplishing

  • MQ-1 airstrike stops car bomb

    The MQ-1 Predator aircrew sat in the ground control station focused intently on their screens. Tension filled the air as they assessed the situation and began calculating the risks of destroying an armored vehicle suspected of carrying explosives. The remotely piloted aircraft crew started their

  • Eye in the sky: MQ-1, MQ-9s provide increased awareness

    Situational awareness is the ability to know what is happening around a person at any given time. This is especially important for military members, more specifically, troops on the ground. For the men and women operating MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft, their skills of

  • Bomb building: Creech leadership shadows Ammo Airmen

    Col. Case Cunningham, 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing commander, joined Chief Master Sgt. Michael Ditore, 432nd Wg/432nd AEW command chief, for Ditore’s shadow an Airman initiative with the Airmen of the 432nd Maintenance Squadron’s munitions flight April 27, 2016, at Creech Air Force Base,

  • Assuring maintenance quality for the MQ-1, MQ-9 mission

    Quality assurance (QA) Airmen in the maintenance world are known by many titles; the “best of the best”, the “eyes and ears”, and even “sharks in the water” for their "no nonsense" attitudes where maintenance is concerned.