Marine Corps now has unit in Indo-Pacific flying Reaper drones

A Marine squadron has become the only Marine unit in the Indo-Pacific to reach an early operational milestone with MQ-9 Reaper drones, according to the Corps.

Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 3, also known as the Phantoms, on Wednesday celebrated reaching initial operational capability with the remotely piloted aircraft at a ceremony at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, according to a Marine Corps news release.

As the Marine Corps has undergone sweeping transformation with an eye toward potential conflict with China, the service’s leadership has increasingly emphasized reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance .

The MQ-9A Reaper, which is primarily designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance , has an endurance of greater than 20 hours and can fly to an altitude of up to 25,000 feet, according to the Corps’ 2022 aviation plan .

The Phantoms will provide aerial reconnaissance for the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment, a new kind of Marine unit based in Hawaii created as part of the Force Design restructuring, according to the release.

The 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment is supposed to be a “stand-in force” ever-present within reach of strikes from China. The regiment is set to reach initial operational capability in September 2023 and full operational capability two years after that, a Marine spokesman previously told Marine Corps Times.

Although the drones will serve as “the airborne quarterback” for the littoral regiment, in the words of Marine Aircraft Group 24 commander Col. William Heiken, they can also be flown for other purposes.

The squadron’s Reapers can support “a wide range of operations such as coastal and border surveillance, weapons tracking, embargo enforcement, humanitarian/disaster assistance, support of peacekeeping and counter-narcotic operations,” Marine spokesman Maj. Jordan Fox said in a March statement.

Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 3, abbreviated VMU-3, has flown a variety of uncrewed aircraft since its 2008 activation, according to the Wednesday news release. The squadron received its first two Reaper drones in April and flew its first Reaper in June.

The first Marine unit to operate the Reaper was the Yuma, Arizona-based Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 1 , which received its first of the aircraft in 2021.

Irene Loewenson is a staff reporter for Marine Corps Times. She joined Military Times as an editorial fellow in August 2022. She is a graduate of Williams College, where she was the editor-in-chief of the student newspaper.

据海军陆战队称，一个海军陆战队中队已成为印太地区唯一一支使用 MQ-9“死神”无人机达到早期作战里程碑的海军陆战队部队。

据美国海军陆战队新闻稿称，海军陆战队第3无人机中队（又称“幻影”）周三在夏威夷卡内奥赫湾海军陆战队航空站举行仪式，庆祝其遥控驾驶飞机达到初始作战能力。

随着海军陆战队进行全面改革，以应对与中国可能发生的冲突，该部队的领导层越来越重视侦察和反侦察。

根据美国陆军工程兵团 2022 年航空计划，MQ-9A“死神”无人机主要用于情报、监视和侦察，续航时间超过 20 小时，飞行高度可达 25,000 英尺。

根据新闻稿，幻影战机将为驻扎在夏威夷的第三海军陆战队近海团提供空中侦察。该团是海军陆战队部队设计重组的一部分，属于一种新型部队。

第3海军陆战队近海团被定位为一支“待命部队”，时刻处于中国打击范围之内。一位海军陆战队发言人此前告诉《海军陆战队时报》，该团计划于2023年9月达到初始作战能力，并在两年后达到全面作战能力。

虽然无人机将作为近岸团的“空中四分卫”，正如海军陆战队第 24 航空大队指挥官威廉·海肯上校所说，但它们也可以用于其他用途。

海军陆战队发言人乔丹·福克斯少校在三月份的一份声明中表示，该中队的“死神”无人机可以支持“广泛的行动，例如海岸和边境监视、武器追踪、禁运执行、人道主义/灾害援助、支持维和行动和禁毒行动”。

根据周三发布的新闻稿，海军陆战队第3无人机中队（简称VMU-3）自2008年成立以来，已操作过多种无人机。该中队于今年4月接收了首批两架“死神”（Reaper）无人机，并于6月进行了首次飞行。

第一个操作“死神”无人机的海军陆战队单位是位于亚利桑那州尤马的无人机中队 1，该中队于 2021 年接收了第一架该型飞机。

艾琳·洛文森是《海军陆战队时报》的专职记者。她于2022年8月加入《军事时报》，担任编辑助理。她毕业于威廉姆斯学院，曾担任该校学生报纸的总编辑。