The MQ-9 Reaper aerial vehicle landed in Ostrava on Sunday. It will take part in the Ample Strike exercise, which starts on Monday. It is the same type of machine that attacked jihadists in Afghanistan on Saturday in a retaliatory attack for Thursday’s suicide bombing at the gates of Kabul airport.
On Saturday, the Pentagon announced that a U.S. Reaper drone killed two of the Islamic State-Khorasan movement’s plotters in that attack. During exercise in Ostrava, the aircraft will provide simulated air support to forwarding air controllers, among other things.
“Exercises aim to align forward air controllers’ procedures with aircrews and ground commanders in a multinational environment. An integral part of the exercise is to test the host nation’s ability to provide host nation support to foreign troops. Pilots will also practice in-flight refueling and direct air support tasks, ” said exercise director Aleš Cápal.
The exercise will take place from Monday to 19 September. In addition to the US MQ-9 Reaper, which can be used for combat and reconnaissance activities, Czech Mi-24/35 attack helicopters, JAS-39 Gripen supersonic aircraft, and German Learjet aircraft will be involved, the ministry said.