By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization
The Iranian-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq claims to have shot down a US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper Drone flying in Iraq, a development which may lead to further US escalation against Iranian-supported groups throughout the Middle East who continue to attack US and allied targets.
A published photo of the drone wreckage was shown by the resistance group, which claimed it shot down the MQ-9 over Diyala Province with a surface-to-air-missile, as described by Air & Space Magazine. The drone, which was recovered by Iraqi Security Forces, crashed near Balad Air Base in Iraq.
Reaper Vulnerability?
While details related to the apparent attack, the weapons used and Reaper mission are not likely to be available for security reasons, forensic analysis will likely determine the kind of weapon used with great accuracy. The attack underscores a long-standing debate which has been taking place within the Air Force community related to the growing vulnerability of large, non-stealthy drones in higher threat environments. Is the Reaper, and other less-stealthy medium altitude drones, simply too vulnerable for many operational environments?
The question has gotten a lot of attention, and while the existing upgraded Reaper will remain critically relevant in lower-threat environments or areas wherein the US Air Force has air supremacy, the drone may not be survivable enough to successfully surge into the future.
The prevailing consensus among senior Air Force weapons developers has been to preserve, sustain and massively upgrade the Reaper for future operations and threat environments, perhaps given the extent to which the Reaper was effective in the War on Terror and War against ISIS. In environments where there is not a threat of Reapers being shot down by air defenses, the platform seems to still add potentially unparalleled operational value.
Also, in an effort to preserve the Reaper and sustain its relevance in higher threat areas, the US Air Force has been shifting tactics to a certain degree. In response to the last time a US Air Force drone was claimed to be shot down by Iranian air defenses. In 2019, a US RQ-4A Global Hawk was shot down and destroyed by Iranian air defenses over the Strait of Hormuz, a development which suggested Iranian weapons had the accuracy and range to target and destroy higher-flying medium-altitude surveillance drones such as the Global Hawk.
Warrior talks to a former DoD leading AI & Cybersecurity Expert
Former Commander of the US Air Force Europe, Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian, told the Mitchell Institute of Aerospace studies several years ago that the service was adjusting tactics to ensure better survivability for its Reapers and other drones. One method is, as Harrigian described it, to simply become less predictable and vary routes and mission profiles to better ensure a Reaper’s flight path can’t be detected easily or known by enemy radar systems. Other methods to improve Reaper survivability can be aligned with years of detailed and highly impactful upgrades, changes which better enable the drone to fight successfully in higher-threat environments. Of course longer range, higher-fidelity sensors and targeting systems are fundamental to this equation, as they enable the Reaper to perform its surveillance and attack missions at much safer stand-off ranges.
Reaper Upgrades
Extra fuel tank technology has been added to the Reaper to improve endurance, the drone has received a massive increase in its attack arsenal due in large measure to the integration several years ago of a universal weapons interface. The Reaper now fires the AIM-9X in addition to the AGM-114 Hellfire missile, a 500-pound laser-guided weapon called the GBU-12 Paveway II, and GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions or JDAMs, as previously reported in an in depth Reaper story by Warrior. Longer-range weapons for the Reaper certainly increase survivability by enabling drone attacks at ranges less vulnerable to enemy attacks.
The Reaper has in recent years also be equipped with a “hardening pod,” described by US Air Force reports as an “electro-optical countermeasure” designed to prevent “jamming.” Iran has in previous instances claimed it has a jamming, drone-guidance and flight path technology sufficient to disable or intercept or jam its guidance and flight systems.
Reaper Defense Electronic Support System
The Reaper technology, identified as the Reaper Defense Electronic Support System (RDESS), is described as having successfully tested an anti-jam, anti-spoofing application which can utilize new aircraft antennas to make essential assessments. The Air Force report also said the new RDESS supports DoD’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, something which could suggest the new target hardening pod draws upon AI-enabled computer technology. It would not be at all surprising if AI-enable algorithms were used to help discern, organize and even deconflict parts of the spectrum to ascertain where the threats are and, if needed, recommend adjustments to protect against jamming. One of the ways the Air Force and its industry partners may be countering enemy countermeasures is by engineering RF technologies capable of “frequency hopping” for weapons guidance systems. For example, should an enemy EW attack seek to jam the RF or infrared targeting guidance on an air-to-air weapon, targeting adaptations can switch or “hop” from one frequency to another to ensure continued guidance functionality.
Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Master’s Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
