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http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #362 MAY 2018 // 7

US Air Force retires Predator remotely piloted aircraft

THE US Air Force
(USAF) retired its General
Atomics MQ -1 Predator
remotely piloted aircraft
(RPA) on March 9. The
final operational flights
of the USAF’s Predator
brought to an end 23
years of almost continuous
operations by the type.

The decommissioning

was marked by the

432nd Wing/432nd Air

Expeditionary Wing at

Creech Air Force Base,

Nevada, and the final

flight in the US was

accomplished by an MQ -1B

controlled by the resident

489th Attack Squadron

(ATKS). Meanwhile, at

approximately the same

time, a last combat sortie

was conducted at an

undisclosed overseas

location by a Predator from

the 15th Expeditionary

Attack Squadron (EAS).

SSgt Robert, a 489th

ATKS sensor operator,

said: “I feel extremely

honoured and proud to be

part of an air force aircraft’s

retirement, especially

considering the impact

this aircraft has had.”

The USAF will complete

transition from the MQ -

to a predominantly MQ-

fleet by the end of the year.

Since February last year,

MQ -1 pilots and sensor

operators have been

retrained on the Reaper.

The fate of the 128 MQ -1s

remaining in the service’s

active inventory has yet to

be decided, although the

US Navy has shown interest

in acquiring the UAVs.

An MQ-1 taxies on the runway at Creech during the fi nal day of Predator operations on March 9. USAF/SrA James Thompson

F-35B deploys aboard USS Wasp with 31st MEU

THE US Marine Corps
completed a historic
deployment when its
F-35Bs went aboard the
amphibious assault ship
USS Wasp (LHD 1) in
March. It was the first
operational deployment
for the jet with a Marine
Expeditionary Unit (MEU).
Lightning IIs from Marine
Fighter Attack Squadron
(VMFA) 121 embarked in
the Wasp on March 5 and
conducted a series of day
and night landings and
launches. The embarkation
was intended to increase
the proficiency of both pilots
and flight deck crews to
operate the aircraft at sea.
USS Wasp arrived at
White Beach Naval Facility,
Okinawa, on March 15,
after completing the flight
operations with the F-35B.
Speaking on the warship’s
return to Okinawa, Capt
Colby Howard, the Wasp’s

commanding of ficer, said:

“The last two weeks at

sea have been extremely

significant for both the crew

and the Navy-Marine Corps

team.” He added: “We have

taken a giant step forward

in the full operational

deployment of the F-35B,

and we’re looking forward

to continuing our integration

with the 31st MEU.”

The short take-off and

vertical landing (STOVL)

F-35Bs embarked in the

Wasp in advance of the

31st MEU’s upcoming

Spring Patrol 2018, a

regularly scheduled

activity in the Indo-Pacific

region with the ships of

Amphibious Squadron

11, forming the Wasp

Amphibious Ready Group.

THE US Air Force’s Open

Skies OC-135B 61-

arrived at RAF Brize Norton,

Oxfordshire from Ramstein

Air Base, Germany on April

3. Operated by the 55th
   Wing, the OC-135B flew
   an Open Skies mission
   from Brize Norton two days
   later. The mission was
   conducted under Operation
   Cockaigne 02/18 and took
   the aircraft on a route along
   the west coast of Wales
   and up to the Lake District
   before landing at Glasgow
   Prestwick Airport. The
   same afternoon it flew
   from Prestwick over Jura,
   RAF Lossiemouth, Loch
   Ness and Leuchars before
   Neil Dunridge returning to Brize Norton.

Open Skies OC-135B in the UK

A VMFA-121 F-35B is directed on the

fl ight deck of the USS ‘Wasp’ in the

East China Sea on March 5.

US Navy/Mass Communication Specialist

3rd Class Michael Molina