An MQ-9 Reaper lands on Highway 287 during Exercise Agile Chariot, April 30, 2023, honing capabilities linked to Agile Combat Employment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Carly Kavish)
WASHINGTON — An MQ-9 Reaper made history April 30 by operating from a highway, according to an Air Force press release, marking a first for the drone and demonstrating a critical ability to land in less traditional settings.
The feat was accomplished during Air Force Special Operations Command’s (AFSOC) Exercise Agile Chariot and occurred on highway 287 in Wyoming, where an MC-130J additionally made a highway landing to rearm and refuel two A-10 Warthogs that were subsequently sent back into the skies.
The 2nd Special Operations Squadron, 919th Special Operations Wing from Duke Field, Fla. landed the Reaper used in the exercise via satellite controls, which the 65th Special Operations Squadron from Hurlburt Field, Fla. then picked up to launch from the highway.
“The requirement here was clear: how do we get after Agile Combat Employment and hone the skills required to win a near-peer competitor fight,” AFSOC Commander Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind said in the release. “This exercise is a great example of what happens when Air Commandos come together to solve problems and test what we will see in future fights.”
As part of Agile Chariot, an MC-130J and two MH-6s made separate landings on Wyoming highway 789 on May 2 to conduct a personnel recovery mission. In both the April 30 and May 2 events, the landing zone was secured by the 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, according to the release.
Though the other aircraft involved in the exercise have made highway landings before, the exercise was the first time this many aircraft had done this kind of operation, according to the release.
“It’s a major step in the right direction and it provides a very usable arrow for our ACE quiver,” Agile Chariot Director and Mission Commander Maj. Matt Waggy said in the release. “Our Joint Force Commander can now look at these capabilities as very real options to solve real-world problems.”
ACE operations are aimed at making operations more flexible in the event critical logistical nodes like airfields become contested or otherwise unavailable. By demonstrating effective combat missions can be done from a highway, officials say, the ACE concept is proving its worth.
“We used highways that weren’t purposely built for landing aircraft. We determined that the roads were adequate to land a relatively large aircraft like a C-130 on it and be able to conduct operations,” Agile Chariot Deputy Mission Commander Lt. Col. Dave Meyer said in the release. “So now, we’ve demonstrated that we don’t need runways in order to project power.”
