The 62nd ERS is home to the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper aircraft at Kandahar Airfield. Over a five-year span, the unit has flown and supported these aircraft, beginning in 2005.
The squadron's operational tempo has increased tremendously in thepast year, said Lt. Col. Morgan Curry, the 62nd ERS commander."Forty-eight percent of our five-year total was flown in the past 12months."
The crews use satellite uplinks that allow the transfer of controlbetween the deployed local pilots who taxi, launch, land and recoverthe aircraft from trailers near the flight line and the crews based in the U.S. or U.K.
Teams from multiple units across the U.S. control the aircraft in flight, said Colonel Curry, another unique aspect of the remotely-piloted aircraft's mission.
"When I first arrived, this was different for me," Colonel Curry said. "I was part of the flight crew team at Creech (AFB) so it had been a while since I had landed the aircraft. But it's great to see both sides of the operations.
The primary mission of the 62nd ERS is to launch and recover all the Air Force RPAs in Afghanistan, Colonel Curry said.
A separate team of military and civilian members maintain and repair the aircraft, when necessary.
"Maintenance and inspections are performed on the aircraft just likemanned aircraft. If we need to, we also replace the weapons and get itback in the air. "
The unit spans the gamut from strategic to tactical intelligence,surveillance and reconnaissance from keeping an eye on large targets toperforming tactical ISR, watching out for coalition and Afghan partners.
"The intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities area huge part of our strategy to keep an eye on everything, literally,"he said.
Both aircraft can perform dual missions of close-air support and ISR taskings.
The Predator can stay airborne for more than 24 hours and althoughthe Reaper does not fly as long as the Predator, it can fly at higheraltitudes and can carry more weapons, squadron officials said.
Each aircraft is equipped with a full-motion video camera with various modes that can detect enemy movements.
The MQ-1 Predator carries the multi-spectral targeting system whichintegrates electro-optical, infrared, laser designator and laserilluminator into a single sensor package, according to an Air Forcefact sheet.
The aircraft can employ two laser-guided AGM-114 Hellfire anti-tank missiles.
Reapers provide the joint-force commander a persistent hunter-killerability, able to strike emerging targets. The MQ-9 also acts as an ISR asset, employing sensors to provide real-time data to commanders and intelligence specialists at all levels.
