SOUTHWEST ASIA -- In response to a critical maintenance need, Airmen assigned to the 386th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron collaborated to complete one-time inspections on the fleet of MQ-9 Reapers.
The crew chiefs started and completed the 4-6 hour inspection on each one of the aircraft from the 46th Expeditionary Attack Squadron.
“We are lifting the aircraft, removing the possibly affected pieces and having [non-destructive inspection] do an inspection on them,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Wyatt Grohler, 386th EAMXS crew chief shift lead.
Since the multi-mission airframe flies every day above the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, OTIs are used to ensure aircraft mechanics find issues before they become hazardous or result in costly maintenance.
“It is a very important inspection,” continued Wyatt Grohler. “It isn’t something to take lightly. If we didn’t take our time and do it correctly, it could cost the Air Force millions of dollars, which is never a good thing.”
An MQ-9 can be equipped with up to four laser-guided Hellfire Missiles, and two laser- or GPS-guided bombs, all of which are highly accurate weapons. The precision strike aircraft is launched, recovered, inspected and maintained by Airmen of the 386th EAMXS. Once in air, the long-endurance aircraft is handed off and flown by U.S. Air Force pilots from active duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserves back in the United States, who also employ it as an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance asset.
In addition to ISR, the Reaper is used for other distinctive mission sets. For combatant commanders in the AOR, it is uniquely qualified to conduct irregular warfare operations.
Those capabilities make it essential for the Airmen of the 386th EAMXS to keep this versatile aircraft flying.
“Unlike a lot of the other aircraft in the Air Force, many of the issues seen on this aircraft have never been seen before, because it is so new,” said Grohler. “We take these inspections seriously to make sure we work out the kinks before it becomes a major issue.”
Each day in this tough environment presents new challenges, said Senior Master Sgt. Gregory Beck, 386th EAMXS superintendent, but his Airmen remain ready to ensure the Reapers can complete the mission successfully.
“Our maintainers are setting the standard for the rest of the Air Force with maintaining the MQ-9 Block 5 aircraft. We are pushing the aircraft to levels never seen by this enterprise,” said Beck. “They completed these actions meticulously and ahead of schedule, to guarantee the combatant commander has the decisive combat capabilities needed to protect our forces and civilians on the ground.”