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  • An MQ- Reaper remotely piloted aircraft performs aerial maneuvers over Creech Air Force Base, Nev., June 25, 2015. The MQ-9 Reaper is an armed, multi-mission, medium-altitude, long-endurance remotely piloted aircraft that is employed primarily as an intelligence-collection asset and secondarily against dynamic execution targets. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Cory D. Payne/Released)

    MQ-1B, MQ-9 flight hours hit 4 million

    The MQ-1B Predator and MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft reached a historic flight hour milestone March 1.
  • The MQ-1 was active for more than 20 years and evolved from a pure intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platform to later include persistent attack capabilities during that time. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman James Thompson)

    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 deadliest engagements during Operation Anaconda. Above the Takur Ghar mountain top, an MQ-1 Predator aircrew became an unforeseen, close air support asset for a desperate joint special operations team in their time of need.
  • The RQ-1 entered the USAF inventory in 1994 and was deployed for the first time over Bosnia in 1995. In 2002, the Predator was armed with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, re-designated the MQ-1, and given interdiction and armed reconnaissance roles.

    AF DCGS says goodbye to an old friend

    The MQ-1 officially retired from Air Force inventory on March 9, 2018 with the Air Force shifting to solely using the MQ-9 Reaper.
  • An MQ-1 Predator taxis on the runway March 9, 2018, at Creech Air Force Base, Nev. Today, the MQ-1 took flight for the last time at Creech, marking its retirement and the transition to an all MQ-9 Reaper force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman James Thompson)

    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 Attack Squadron and the last combat line flown by the 15th Expeditionary Attack Squadron in an undisclosed area of responsibility.
  • The Predator started as an RQ-1 in the late 1990s, providing only reconnaissance capabilities until the early 2000s, when it was equipped with two AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and designated as a multirole asset.

    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 transitions to an all MQ-9 Reaper force. With the introduction of aerial warfare, countries all over the world raced to the skies to gain tactical advantage over their adversaries. Devices such as balloons were used in early conflict for reconnaissance and, while the thought of such technology seems primitive today, that same pursuit of aerial superiority ultimately inspired the MQ-1.
  • Members of the 489th Attack Squadron stand at attention during a group photo Dec. 14, 2016, at Creech Air Force Base, Nev.

    A legacy of valor: 489th ATKS achieves centennial

    The 489th Attack Squadron has played an important part of airpower and reached its centennial anniversary on Aug. 13, 2017, despite multiple duties and designations.
  • Maj. Richard, 432nd Wing MQ-1 Predator pilot, watches the Predator fly over a C-5M Supergalaxy while reminiscing how about how he became a U.S. Air Force pilot. As a seven-year-old boy, Richard fell in love with the C-5 and aviation during Lethbridge International Airshow in Alberta, Canada. More than twenty years later he became a C-5 pilot, flying for four years in that airframe. Now, he flies the MQ-1 Predator. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Christian Clausen)

    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,” said Maj. Richard, 432nd Wing MQ-1 Predator pilot. "We looked at all the airplanes and there wasn’t a single airplane that made more of an impression on me than the C-5 [Galaxy] did. I was just enthralled and I didn't quite know why, but even at that age I knew I wanted to be a part of it and fly it. It became my greatest dream."
  • 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. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Christian Clausen)

    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 Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron activated, and was tasked with flying the P-38 Lightning and B-25 Mitchell over the Pacific Theater, to observe and map enemy movements. After the war, the 17th transitioned to aircraft such as the RF-84 Thunderflash, the RF-101 Voodoo, and the RF-80 Shooting Star. In 1958, the squadron realigned under the 432nd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, now known as the 432nd Wing.
  • Lt. Gen. Mark Kelly, 12th Air Force commander, Col. Case Cunningham, outgoing 432nd Wing commander and Col. Julian Cheater, incoming 432nd Wing commander, salute during the singing of the national anthem at the 432nd Wing change of command July 6, 2017, at Creech Air Force Base, Nev. During the event, Col. Cheater assumed command from Col. Cunningham in front of a crowd of Airmen, peers and family members. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class James Thompson)

    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 Lt. Gen. Mark Kelly, 12th Air Force commander, presided over the day’s ceremony. During the event, Kelly congratulated the wing on its accomplishments.
  • An MQ-9 Reaper sits on the flight line Nov. 16, 2016, at Creech Air Force Base, Nev. The MQ-9 provides persistent attack and reconnaissance capabilities for combatant commanders and coalition forces involved in 24/7/365 combat operations abroad. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class James Thompson)

    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 controller on the ground. Anticipation heightens as the JTAC confirms the target and gives the aircrew the clearance to attack. The aircrew then reviews checklists before engaging, adrenaline begins to seep in and the whirring from electronic components in the cockpit recedes from awareness. Their concentration sharpens and as the pilot squeezes the trigger, and a laser guided AGM-114 Hellfire missile is released. The sensor operator hones in on the objective at hand by keeping the laser designator crosshairs precisely over the target and guiding the missile. The countdown begins until impact...10, 9, 8…
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