PF
MC-12 Liberty
I can see this guy from my patio, just orbiting out there.
The MC-12W Liberty aircraft is an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft of the United States Air Force (USAF) acquired for Project Liberty. Project Liberty includes Operations Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Enduring Iraqi Freedom (OIF). OEF is the official name designated by the US government for its war in Afghanistan, while OIF is the official name for its war in Iraq.
An asset owned by the Joint Forces Air Component Commander, the aircraft’s key mission is to provide ISR services to the ground forces.
A medium-altitude manned vehicle, the MC-12W is based on the Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350 and King Air 350ER models, which are variants of the C-12 series. The aircraft is an augmentation of the two King Air models to include ISR capabilities.
The MC-12W has been procured as it can support all the Air Force’s irregular warfare mission needs.
The first combat mission of the MC-12W aircraft was undertaken on 10 June 2009. The aircraft was assigned to the airmen of the 362nd Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron Detachment 1 and the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing in Camp Liberty, Iraq. The first combat sortie took off from Joint Base Balad, Iraq at 2.30pm for a four-hour mission. At about 6.20pm local time the four member crew completed the sortie.
MC-12W programme
In April 2008, the US Secretary of Defense established a task force to identify and recommend solutions for increased ISR in the US Central Command’s (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR) in Project Liberty.