The Chief of the Air Staff announced today that a new Reaper Squadron will form at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire, which will mean the aircraft over Afghanistan will be controlled from the UK for the first time.

Speaking at the disbandment of Number XIII Tornado Squadron at RAF Marham, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton announced that the Squadron number will transfer to a second Reaper Squadron next year. The remotely piloted aircraft will continue to be based in Afghanistan.

With its array of high tech sensors and precision guided weapons, Reaper can carry out a wide range of missions that are currently controlled by 39 Squadron crews on the other side of the world at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada. Reaper can use its sensors day and night to spy on insurgent activity for hours at a time and at a range where they are undetectable from the ground.

Source and photo: RAF