On Monday 20 April 2009, Andrew Brookes, IISS Aerospace Analyst, gave an overview of how Reaper operations are currently being conducted and outlined his thoughts on the prospects for unmanned air vehicles from 11am-12pm.
As IISS Aerospace specialist, Andrew Brookes had just returned from a fact-finding visit to Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, home of the 42nd USAF Attack Squadron and the RAF’s 39 Squadron. These are the two Reaper Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) squadrons that are currently employed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Providing real-time detailed intelligence and delivering precise weaponry over an area of operations eight time zones away is a revolutionary feature of modern warfare, and the trend towards operations overseen by personnel far removed from the frontline is likely to increase.
Andrew Brookes is a former RAF reconnaissance and bomber pilot. He was a NATO Nuclear Release Officer and the last operational RAF Commander at the Greenham Common cruise missile base. After three years as a Group Director at the RAF Advanced Staff College, he became co-ordinator of air power studies at the newly formed Joint Services Command and Staff College. He has had thirteen books published on military aviation and flight safety. He is a Liveryman of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators, a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and a Fellow of the Royal United Services Institute.
This meeting was chaired by James Hackett, Editor of The Military Balance and Head, Defence Analysis Department, and took place on the fourth floor at Arundel House, 13-15 Arundel Street, Temple Place, London WC2R 3DX.
