{"id":16330,"date":"2018-06-01T15:36:28","date_gmt":"2018-06-01T15:36:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/06\/01\/air-force-reapers-are-now-flying-isr-missions-from-poland\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:18:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:18:48","slug":"air-force-reapers-are-now-flying-isr-missions-from-poland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/2018\/06\/01\/air-force-reapers-are-now-flying-isr-missions-from-poland\/","title":{"rendered":"Air Force Reapers are now flying ISR missions from Poland"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The U.S. Air Force\u2019s MQ-9 Reaper<\/a> drone quietly started flights from Miroslawiec Air Base, Poland, in May, but the service isn\u2019t saying exactly why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response to a query, U.S. Air Forces in Europe<\/a> would only say that the Reapers will be unarmed and only used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur priority for this mission is to maintain ready and postured forces on land, in the air, and at sea,\u201d Auburn Davis, a civilian U.S. Air Forces in Europe official, told Air Force Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked why Poland was chosen, Davis said it had to do with its \u201cstrategic location in Eastern Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cU.S. Air Forces in Europe conducts a range of operations on the continent that support our NATO allies<\/a> and uphold the rule of international law,\u201d she said. \u201cDue to its strategic location in Eastern Europe, Poland is an ideal location to host [remotely piloted aircraft]. We consider Poland a pillar of stability in the region, and its support on this mission and others is critical to achieving our joint security objectives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
From August to December of 2016, MQ-9 Reaper aircrews supported the Government of National Accord and other coalition partners to remove Islamic State of Iraq and Syria fighters from Sirte, Libya. On Dec. 19, 2016, Sirte was declared liberated from ISIS.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A retired U.S. Air Force pilot, who flew both the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper, told Air Force Times that the drones would be difficult to use in conflict zones such as eastern Ukraine \u2014 where Russian-backed separatists are engaged in a low-kinetic war against the Ukrainian government. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDrones may be vulnerable to Russian-supplied [anti-aircraft artillery] and [surface-to-air missiles], so it may not be prudent to commit them against the rebels or to escalate an already tense situation,\u201d the Reaper pilot said.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe currently operate in arenas where we have total air supremacy. That\u2019s something we would not have in eastern Ukraine,\u201d he added.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, the Reaper pilot said drones would serve as a deterrent in support of NATO allies, with the flexibility of future employment if the situation in Ukraine deteriorated.<\/p>\n\n\n\t