2003 Iraq War

MQ-9 Reaper in the 2003 Iraq War

U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reapers flew armed reconnaissance, close-air-support, and precision-strike missions from Joint Base Balad during Operation Iraqi Freedom, with official reporting documenting the first Iraq combat sortie in July 2008 and a GBU-12 strike in August 2008.

Weapon profileMQ-9 Reaper
SideUnited States and coalition forcesRoleReconnaissance & SurveillanceTargeting SupportLong-Range Strike
MQ-9 Reaper, Medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned combat aerial vehicle, Aircraft & UAVs - 2003 Iraq War
Image source: File: MQ-9 Reaper - 090609-F-0000M-777.JPG

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reapers operated from Joint Base Balad during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sources: USAF Reaper Enhances Iraq Capabilities, USAF Reaper Patrols Iraq Sky

The first documented Iraq combat sortie occurred on July 18, 2008.

Sources: USAF Reaper Enhances Iraq Capabilities, USAF Reaper Patrols Iraq Sky

An MQ-9 Reaper used a 500-pound GBU-12 laser-guided bomb against a VBIED near Balad on August 16, 2008.

Sources: USAF Reaper Drops Bomb

The documented Iraq operator was the U.S. Air Force's 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance and Attack Squadron.

Sources: USAF Reaper Drops Bomb, USAF Reaper Patrols Iraq Sky

Timeline

MQ-9 Reaper In 2003 Iraq War

  1. Armed MQ-9 photographed at Joint Base Balad

    Air Force imagery showed an MQ-9 Reaper at Joint Base Balad carrying munitions including GBU-12 laser-guided bombs and Hellfire missiles before the type's first Iraq combat mission.

    Sources: USAF Reaper Patrols Iraq Sky

  2. First operational Iraq mission

    The Air Force reported that an MQ-9 Reaper flew its first operational mission from Joint Base Balad in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

    Sources: USAF Reaper Enhances Iraq Capabilities, USAF Reaper Patrols Iraq Sky

  3. GBU-12 strike near Balad

    An MQ-9 Reaper dropped a 500-pound GBU-12 laser-guided bomb against a confirmed VBIED near Balad during one of the aircraft's first weapons engagements in Iraq.

    Sources: USAF Reaper Drops Bomb

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The MQ-9 Reaper is directly documented in the 2003 Iraq War through U.S. Air Force reporting from Joint Base Balad, Iraq. On July 22, 2008, the Air Force reported that the first operational MQ-9 Reaper mission from Balad had flown on July 18 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The first documented weapons engagement followed on August 16, 2008, when an MQ-9 Reaper employed a 500-pound GBU-12 laser-guided bomb against a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device near Balad. Air Force reporting identified the operators as airmen from the 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance and Attack Squadron and stated that the aircraft had begun flying combat sorties over Iraq on July 18.

Sources: USAF Reaper Enhances Iraq Capabilities, USAF Reaper Drops Bomb

Timeline

The public Air Force chronology places the MQ-9's Iraq entry in mid-July 2008. A July 17 photograph showed an MQ-9 at Joint Base Balad configured for armed operations, and the July 18 mission was described as the type's first Iraq combat mission.

On August 16, 2008, an MQ-9 flying overwatch in southeast Iraq found a suspicious vehicle, passed information to a local ground unit, and then used a GBU-12 after the vehicle was confirmed as a VBIED and a joint terminal attack controller cleared the strike.

Sources: USAF Reaper Patrols Iraq Sky, USAF Reaper Drops Bomb

Operational role

The documented operator was the U.S. Air Force, on the United States and coalition side of the conflict. The cited reports place the aircraft at Joint Base Balad and identify the 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance and Attack Squadron as the unit flying Reaper operations in Iraq.

The supported role was armed reconnaissance, close air support, and precision strike. Air Force reporting described the Reaper as adding persistent surveillance and strike capacity to airpower forces in Iraq, with satellite-flown missions, integration into the existing MQ-1 Predator intelligence and surveillance architecture, and coordination with ground commanders and joint terminal attack controllers.

Sources: USAF Reaper Enhances Iraq Capabilities, USAF Reaper Drops Bomb

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Sources