An unmanned aerial vehicle hit a boat with a missile during a training mission, marking the first time the AIr Force has had a successful test of such an attack.
The exercise took place on March 17, according to a report in Defense News. An MQ-9 Reaper fired an AGM-114 Hellfire missile at the test target and scored a hit.
"It was the first time we had put live weapons into boats and participated in maritime (exercises)," Capt. Timothy Ford, 26th Weapons Squadron flight commander, said in an Air Force news release. "For our community it's a big step forward, it's a mission set we had looked at for a long time."
RPA pilots at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, controlled the Reaper on the mission. During the flight, the drone flew with A-10s, F-16s and F-35s, according to the Air Force.
