2007: The MQ-9 Reaper flew its first operational mission in Afghanistan for Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. The Reaper, a larger and heavily armed brother of the MQ-1 Predator, provided intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities and an ability to attack time-sensitive targets quickly and precisely. Like the Predator, the Air Force launched, recovered, and maintained the Reaper at deployed locations, while the pilots and sensor operators at Creech AFB, Nev., remotely operated the aircraft. These early missions were not reported publicly until 11 October.
