ND National Guard’s 119th Wing Unveils MQ-9 Reaper

The 119th's Wing held an open house to showcase their new remotely piloted aircraft.

FARGO, ND — It’s an exciting day for the 119th Wing of the National Guard as they presented their latest hands free aircraft model, the MQ-9 Reaper.

“This is an immense opportunity and event for us,” said Colonel Britt Hatley. “I arrived in 119th Wing a year ago this week and I knew that this was coming and I knew that the wing was working extraordinarily hard to get to this point.”

The aircraft is one of the top choices for military missions around the world because of its ability to carry precision weapons and is built for long endurance training.

The MQ-9 also flies at a medium altitude and can be used in reconnaissance.

Colonel Hatley said it’s been a lengthy process getting it up and running.

“It was the first time since WWII that a unit completed in-house aircraft transitions with no resulting loss and capability for supported units on the other part of the world,” Colonel Hatley said.

A lot of times, the MQ-9 Reaper is confused for an autonomous drone.

But really, it takes a lot of people to operate the aircraft.

“The people who put fuel in it, the people who prepare it each morning, the people who catch it when we land it and bring it back here. It’s all a huge team effort,” Colonel Hatley said.

Even with the hard work and long hours, Colonel Hatley said it’s nothing compared to the sacrifices made by service people and their families.

“Now that we have these planes here, we can do it locally,” he added. “People get to stay here with their families while they a get chance to fly and work on these incredible airplanes.”

This is all part of the U.S. Air Force’s larger plan to upgrade its remote piloted capability.

The 119th Wing hopes to have the MQ-Reaper ready for training purposes by the end of this month.