The US military recently landed a MQ-9 Reaper drone on a dirt strip for the first time. An Air Force official hailed the exercise as an opportunity to break away from traditional runways. A US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper conducts the first ever MQ-9 Reaper landing on a dirt landing zone during a training exercise near Fort Stockton, Texas, June 15, 2023. For the Air Force, that means learning how to fight from austere locations that provide increased survivability and flexibility. In doing so, a travel pod was attached to the Reaper so it could resupply soldiers who were waiting at the dirt landing zone.

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Persons: —, Brian Flanigan, Flanigan, Sgt, Cody H, Ramirez, David Payne , Organizations: An Air Force, Service, US Air Force, Air Force Special Operations Command, Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, AFSOC, Special Operations Squadron, Commando, 2nd Special Operations Squadron, The Air Force Locations: Fort Stockton, Texas, Fort Stockton , Texas, Wyoming, Rawlins , Wyoming