Gliding stealthily through the skies without a pilot, this streamlined aircraft is the US military’s proud MQ-9 ‘Reaper’ unmanned strike aircraft.
The Reaper, developed by the American defense company General Atomics, has a maximum speed of 480 km/h, a range of 5,900 km, and a maximum altitude of 15 km.
It can stay in the air for up to 14 hours, and has a sensor that can detect a wide range, with excellent reconnaissance capability.
Not only this.
In addition to four Hellfire missiles, two GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bombs weighing 230 kg and a GBU-38 joint direct strike missile can be mounted, so it is called the ‘sky reaper’ .
Being called the best drone attack aircraft in the world, its performance on the battlefield is said to be excellent.
Let’s take a look, shall we?
The US military killed the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Qassem Soleimani at Baghdad Airport in Iraq in 2020, and the Reaper carried out this mission.
After checking the position of the vehicle seat with the camera mounted on the plane, he fired a missile to hit the target with precision.
Eight such fearsome Reapers are said to have been dispatched to Kanoya Air Base of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force on the 23rd.
This is the first time that Reapers have been deployed in the Indo-Pacific region, so it is very meaningful.
Let’s take a brief look at the reasons for using Reaper Japan.
A show of force in Northeast Asia, where tensions are rising
There are eight Reapers deployed in the Kanoya base this time, which is not a small number.
The operational workforce for operation and maintenance is said to reach 150-200 people.
The fact that the US military has revealed the use of Reapers and has officially begun operations has many intentions to send a warning message to North Korea and China.
This year, North Korea has launched several types of ballistic missiles one after the other, including an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
Tensions are on the rise as there are rumors that a seventh nuclear test is imminent.
Conflict between China and the United States over the Taiwan issue is also becoming increasingly acute.
At this point, the US military deployed the most elite UAVs and operational forces in Japan to demonstrate the dominance of the overwhelming power of the US military.
There must also be a practical intent to use the Reaper with strong reconnaissance capabilities to observe military trends in North Korea and China in real time.
Wouldn’t you like to make it clear that any military action hostile to the United States can be detected, and can even hit a target?
