May 7, 2007: The U.S. Air Force has formed the first UAV
Wing. The 432nd Wing contains six Predator and one maintenance squadrons. Each Predator squadron has at least twelve UAVs,
and sometimes as many as 24. Squadrons have 400-500 personnel. Only about two
thirds of those troops go overseas with the UAVs. The rest stay behind in the
United States, and fly the Predators via a satellite link. The 432nd has 60
MQ-1 Predator and six MQ-9 Reaper (also called Predator B) UAVs. The Wing expects to have its UAVs in the air for at
least 75,000 hours this year. When in a combat zone, each Predator averages
about 110 hours in the air each month. Each aircraft flies 6-7 sorties a month,
each one lasting 17-18 hours on average.
Wings, which are roughly the size
of army brigades, are the largest units in the air force, aside from the
numbered air forces (1st Air Force, 7th Air Force, and so on). There used be
Air Divisions (composed of two or more Wings), but these were phased out in the
1990s.
In three years, the air force
expects to have fifteen Predator squadrons, and at least one more Predator
Wing. During that period it is buying 170 MQ-1 Predators, and up to 70 MQ-9
Reapers (or Predator B). While the Predator was a reconnaissance aircraft that
could carry weapons (two Hellfire missiles, each weighing a hundred pounds),
the Reaper was designed as a combat aircraft
that also does reconnaissance. The Reaper can carry over half a ton of
GPS or laser guided bombs, as well as the 250 pound SDB, or Hellfire
missiles. The Predators cost about $4.5
million each, while the Reaper goes for about $8.5 million. The Reaper can only
stay in the air for up to 24 hours, versus 40 hours for the Predator. But
experience has shown that few missions require even 24 hours endurance.
For that reason, the air force
decided not to give the Reaper an inflight refueling capability. The Reaper
also carries sensors equal to those found in targeting pods like the Sniper XL
or Litening, and flies at the same 20,000 foot altitude of most fighters using
those pods. This makes the Reaper immune to most ground fire, and capable of
seeing, and attacking, anything down there. All at one tenth of the price of a
manned fighter aircraft. The air force
expects to stop buying the Predator in four years, and switch over to the
Reaper, and new designs still in development.
