The first location – which has been narrowed down to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, AZ; Moody AFB, GA; Mountain Home AFB, ID; Offutt AFB, NB; or Shaw AFB, SC – could host an operations group with mission control elements but no actual aircraft, according to a service statement.
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Meanwhile, candidates for the second location, which would host up to 24 MQ-9s along with accompanying launch and recovery elements, are Eglin and Tyndall AFBs in Florida; Vandenberg AFB in California, and Shaw AFB.
The Air Force said other locations it is considering to control the Reaper include Moody Air Force Base in Georgia; Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho; Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska; and Shaw Air Force Base in SC. It would potentially host a full MQ-9 wing.
The desire for additional locations for an MQ-9 wing was identified during surveys of officers and enlisted Airmen in the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 enterprise as part of Air Combat Command’s Culture and Process Improvement Program.
The service has been evaluating new locations for RPA wings “to help diversify assignment opportunities for personnel within the MQ-9 enterprise”, the Air Force said.
The Air Force National Guard already pilots some drones from Tucson.
Yet top brass has said they are encountering difficulties retaining RPA pilots and operators. Culture surveys released by the Air Force have often listed one of the primary reasons as being only a single location in the US airmen and their families could go to: Creech.
The announcement that Offutt was chosen as one of the five finalists out of almost 20 bases that applied to host the unmanned aerial vehicle mission follows the Pentagon’s decision in June to allocate $55 million to fix Offutt’s deteriorating runway.
Arizona congresswoman Martha McSally today released this statement on DM being selected as one of the sites.
“From the start, I believed Offutt was a strong candidate and I’m pleased to see the Air Force’s recognition of the great things Offutt has to offer”, she said.
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“I am looking forward to this, and any other possible mission in the future”, Valadez said.
