Predator crews reach operational milestone

WASHINGTON, May 6 (UPI) -- U.S. Air Force officials say they have doubled their unmanned air vehicle combat air patrol capabilities over the last year in the war on terror.

The 24th MQ-1 Predator UAV combat air patrol is now in operation marking a milestone for the Air Force and a doubling of the Predator's capabilities with more than 13,400 hours of full motion surveillance for ground forces in conflict zones like Iraq and Afghanistan. The Predators are also equipped with air-to-surface AGM-114 Hellfire missiles to add an additional layer of protection, the Air Force reported.

Officials say along with the increased physical number of UAVs now in service, the Air Force has developed a remote split operation initiative where Predator missions are launched in areas where U.S. soldiers are deployed but are flown by crews back in the United States. The new operational concept allows for the maintaining of 24 continuous combat air patrols with the total fleet of 76 combat aircraft.

Prior to the remote split operational innovation, Predator crews were deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Officials say with regular troop rotation, only about 30 percent of the Predator forces were active in combat. "Under this remote model, the Air Force commits 85 percent of its aircrafts to combat operations … and reduces the number of Americans deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan to conduct these missions," the release said.