"First Time, Brits Launch Drone Strike From Home." Topic

"There was a time when all the world's military drone strikes were directed from a small base in Nevada. No more. In a first, the United Kingdom has carried out a strike in Afghanistan by pilots controlling the drone from within Britain.

The nature of the strike is unclear. The Ministry of Defence said it "does not discuss details of specific missions for operational security reasons," according to a statement obtained by Flight, which reported the strike was carried out Tuesday by an armed Royal Air Force MQ-9 Reaper — most likely launched from Kandahar Air Field in Afghanistan. The ministry merely confirmed that one of its Reaper drones, controlled by pilots from the Royal Air Force's 13 Squadron at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire fired a weapon "supporting U.K. forces on the ground in Afghanistan."

It was only a week after the RAF began to control its drones from home territory. Before, the RAF controlled its squadron of five Reaper drones — each armed with up to two 500-pound GBU-12 Paveway bombs and four AGM-114 Hellfire missiles — from Creech, a U.S. Air Force base in Nevada and a headquarters for Afghanistan's remotely-operated drone war. According to Flight, Britain's drones have used their weapons more than 380 times in Afghanistan since 2007 for a "combined total of 45,000 flight hours." Those strikes were conducted remotely from Creech.

London reportedly finished its drone control center at Waddington sometime in late 2012, according to The Guardian. It includes three remote operating stations. "We aren't flying any more operations than we were before, but with the time differences between the U.S., Afghanistan and the U.K., it is now possible for pilots at Waddington to work in relay with the those in the U.S.," one source told the newspaper in late April.

The Ministry of Defence also reportedly "insists" that it only uses the drones in Afghanistan's Helmand Province, which is far narrower hunting ground than the one patrolled by the Pentagon and CIA's killer machines. It's also only a partial truth. British pilots have flown armed American drones over Libya as part of the exchange program at Creech. But it's unclear if any of the 145+ drone strikes carried out by the Pentagon in Libya were controlled by the RAF…"
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Amicalement
Armand

Good for them. Surprised they didn't have that capability earlier.

Cue Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper", which should be the unit's official theme song, if it isn't already.

President Kirchner take note.

We've had the capability for years, but they've been controlled from the USA, where RAF units have been co-located with the USAF, in USAF or joint facilities.

It's all very annoying, as I've been waiting for years for at least one friend to rise to command a fast jet squadron and get me a back-seat trip, but they all seem to be getting Reaper Squadrons… :o(

In a month or two we'll even be able to outsource it to some company in India…

I expect they're already covering night-shifts.

Good show Old Boy ! Good show !

@stenicplus:

"My name is Frank. How may I direct your close air support, please?"

In all seriousness, have any of the British drones had a crash? There have been articles about the high number of drone wrecks (undisclosed causes or locations). But there is no need for the military to report the crashes, especially when no human life is lost.

Anyway, just curious.

And being UK there were protesters protesting the use of Drones outside the base and interviewed by the BBC

I have no idea why people protest the concept of combat using a drone on either side of the pond, what's the difference between a drone and a crusie missile? At least with the drone you have the option of NOT firing or taking action but once the crusie missile is off the chain thats it.

We get occasional protests here as well, due to drone testing. The only drones tested here are pure observation types such as Watchkeeper (below), which will never carry weapons, but as far as the loons are concerned, they still constitute a 'war-crime'.

Of course when it come to it Watchkeeper could put an entire Bty of AS-90 on a target, slightly more Ordnance than a Reaper! But of course it would not have the range to take a pop at a car full of charity workers driving around on peaceful business in a far off hot land!!

Tally Ho!

Sshhh! They haven't worked that out yet! ;o)

It is bizarre though that they wouldn't have the same problem with a bloke on a hilltop, with a pair of binoculars, a map and a radio, doing exactly the same job (well, other than hating all military people on principle, of course).

They ( the protesters )don;t seem to complain when the Taliban detonates an IED in what I think is a cowardly attack on our troops.

In a month or two we'll even be able to outsource it to some company in India…

I never could fake that accent long enough for a call…