Anderson Air Force Base, Guam. – The Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Test Center (AATC) recently took part in Valiant Shield 2022, a 12-day joint training exercise aimed at bolstering the collaborative ability of U.S. Military forces by conducting integrated operations with the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps.
During the exercise, AATC led a successful test of the new AGM-114 R-4 long range hellfire missile and the associated weaponeering software. The modified Hellfire missile can fly roughly three times as far as previous versions and resulted in the longest Hellfire shot taken to date. The test demonstrated the AGM-114 R-4’s ability to double the MQ-9’s standoff range, giving the ability to engage threats while maintaining a safe distance out of the threats ability to counter-strike, which is crucial to survivability in a contested environment.
The AATC MQ-9 Test Detachment was supported by the 174th Attack Wing with Block 5 MQ-9 aircraft. The 556th Test and Evaluation squadron supported with a block 30 Ground Control Station, while test flights were flown out of Creech AFB using Air Combat Command (ACC), Air National Guard (ANG) and Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) aircrew.
Valiant Shield 2022 was a success thanks to the combined efforts of all military branches and a demonstration of the lethality of the U.S. Military’s integrated operations.
AATC is a MAJOM Operational Test Organization chartered to test aircraft modernization efforts and the ARC's Battlefield Airman Enterprise which includes Intelligence, Surveillance, & Reconnaissance, Cyber, Space, and all other Combined Test Forces.
| Date Taken: | 10.07.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 10.07.2022 10:20 |
| Story ID: | 430939 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 617 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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