Robins AFB opens MQ-9 Reaper electronic maintenance facility

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — On Tuesday, July 12, Robins Air Force Base cut the ribbon on a new electronic maintenance facility for the MQ-9 Reaper, pressing on with the mission once again.

“What the folks here in Warner Robins have done for decades, and continue to do, is be a part of that mission of defending our nation around the world,” Ron Fehlen, vice president general manager of Air Force Program for L3Harris Technologies, said.

Clocking in at 240 KTAS (knots true airspeed), a length of 36 feet and a wingspan of 66 feet, this unmanned aircraft’s primary objective is to gather

intelligence to be used in strike, coordination and reconnaissance missions. Two crewmembers, one pilot and one sensor operator guide the unit remotely to complete their mission.

According to documentation provided at the ribbon cutting, the Reaper is truly something to behold.

“The Reaper is employed primarily as an intelligence-collection asset and secondarily against dynamic execution target,” the documentation read. “Given its significant loiter time, wide-range sensors, multi-mode communications suite, and precision weapons, it provides a unique capability to perform strike, coordination, and reconnaissance against high-value, fleeting and time-sensitive targets.”

“Reapers can also perform the following missions and tasks: intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, close air support, combat search and rescue, precision strike, buddy-lase, convoy and raid overwatch, route clearance, target development and terminal guidance. The MQ-9’s capabilities make it uniquely qualified to conduct irregular warfare operations in support of combatant commander objectives.”

As of Tuesday, this aircraft will be added to the already impressive list of crafts that Robins Air Force Base provides maintenance. Specifically, Fehlen said Robins would be providing maintenance on components that make it a valuable intelligence asset.

“The MQ-9 is a intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft,” Fehlen said. “It’s an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, a UAV — if you think about it, if it’s taking pictures and it can’t get those pictures back to somebody who can take a look at it, then it’s not really valuable. It is critical that this communications link between the platform and the people that are actually operating, and using the pictures from the platform, is maintained all through flight.”

That communication is part of what is being maintained in Robin Air Force Base’s new depot, to ensure “those pictures are coming back, that we maintain control of the vehicle as it performs operations all over the world.”

Fehlen added that Robins would work to repair equipment as quickly as possible to ensure it can be returned to the field in a timely manner.

“We see in the news a lot about the operations all over the world and in the last ten years as we looked at operations again in the Middle East and otherwise,” Fehlen said. “A lot of that has relied on this platform, the MQ-9, and others similar to it.

“Those platforms rely on being able to talk back and forth to a human because there isn’t a human in the aircraft itself. Because of that reason, what’s going on here in repairing that capability and getting it back out to the field is extremely important here, as it ties forward to being able to defend our nation.”

Chris Barkley is the director of the 402nd Electronic Maintenance Group, the group that will be manning this depot and completing this repair work. He confirmed that the 402nd would be working to repair several components within the aircraft.

“Our role here in the 402nd Electronic Maintenance Group is to make sure that those communication and navigation components of the aircraft are operating appropriately,” Barkley said. “This is [an expansion] of what we do here.

“These days, a lot of components in the Air Force are software driven, it’s constantly changing. The threats that are out there these days, that’s our role, to make sure what we’re providing to the war fighters is the latest, greatest technology out there. Things break, software needs a black box to operate and do what it does, so that’s what we provide here in Warner Robins.”

Barkley said those carrying out the task are a skilled workforce coming from the Warner Robins area. Avionic and electronic technicians are typically educated in the field or trained former military, and Barkley reported that the 402nd would be hiring in the coming future to compensate for this additional workload as well as other projects. These technicians are skilled in blueprints, computer science, circuitry and microelectronics as well as skills required to repair individual components of the aircrafts communications systems.

“It’s a growing opportunity for us here at EMXG; we’re looking forward to it,” Barkley said. “It’s building upon the existing partnership we have with L3Harris and the MQ-9 program. We’re just proud to be a part of it.”

Following quick words from Barkley and Fehlen, thanking all those who took part in preparing for this depot activation, the two speakers stepped forward alongside MQ-9 Sustainment Chief Thomas Courson, cutting the ribbon and officially opening the facility.

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