1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,000 2 00:00:05,210 --> 00:00:07,590 The Tennessee Air National Guard's 1 18 3 00:00:07,599 --> 00:00:09,300 th wing made history recently 4 00:00:09,310 --> 00:00:11,529 successfully flying the MQ nine from 5 00:00:11,539 --> 00:00:13,899 California to Samna , Tennessee without 6 00:00:13,909 --> 00:00:15,853 ground crews or support facilities 7 00:00:15,853 --> 00:00:17,909 normally required for taxiing , take 8 00:00:17,909 --> 00:00:20,020 off and landing as part of exercise . 9 00:00:20,020 --> 00:00:22,076 Whiskey Fury designed around the air 10 00:00:22,076 --> 00:00:24,190 force's new agile combat employment 11 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:26,829 model members from the 1 18 Operations 12 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:28,670 group piloted the MQ nine to a 13 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:31,013 successful takeoff in landing on June 7 . 14 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:34,709 Key to the success of this exercise is 15 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:36,609 a new technology called satellite 16 00:00:36,609 --> 00:00:38,819 launch and recovery or SLR , which 17 00:00:38,830 --> 00:00:41,052 fundamentally changes how MQ nine S are 18 00:00:41,052 --> 00:00:43,389 flown and supported . The primary focus 19 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:45,900 of this is to practice that satellite 20 00:00:45,909 --> 00:00:48,069 launch and recovery and work on how 21 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:50,080 that dovetails into the air force's 22 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:52,689 vision of agile combat deployment with 23 00:00:52,700 --> 00:00:55,033 the first objective of the exercise met . 24 00:00:55,033 --> 00:00:57,089 The second goal was training . We've 25 00:00:57,089 --> 00:00:59,311 got to give the California Air National 26 00:00:59,311 --> 00:01:01,311 part a lot of credit . They've been 27 00:01:01,311 --> 00:01:03,200 using this as a domestic response 28 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:05,422 capability for the California wildfires 29 00:01:05,422 --> 00:01:07,478 for quite a while and the rest of us 30 00:01:07,478 --> 00:01:09,589 are taking the lessons they learned . 31 00:01:09,589 --> 00:01:11,756 And now we want to apply the visual of 32 00:01:11,756 --> 00:01:13,589 an MQ nine flying in us civilian 33 00:01:13,589 --> 00:01:15,756 airspace could be alarming to some not 34 00:01:15,756 --> 00:01:17,867 familiar with its domestic operations 35 00:01:17,867 --> 00:01:20,089 capabilities but Woods explained the MQ 36 00:01:20,089 --> 00:01:22,311 nine integrates exceptionally well into 37 00:01:22,311 --> 00:01:24,089 this role . It provides instant 38 00:01:24,089 --> 00:01:26,367 assessment and awareness to commanders , 39 00:01:26,367 --> 00:01:28,589 governors and federal leadership during 40 00:01:28,589 --> 00:01:28,580 natural disasters . It's such a good 41 00:01:28,589 --> 00:01:32,089 platform . I want it to be utilized and 42 00:01:32,339 --> 00:01:35,824 be accepted today . National Guard got 43 00:01:35,834 --> 00:01:37,834 to see history made . This is a big 44 00:01:37,834 --> 00:01:40,095 deal . This is the first time that it 45 00:01:40,105 --> 00:01:42,327 has landed here . A vision years in the 46 00:01:42,327 --> 00:01:44,549 making bars . Time one has ever touched 47 00:01:44,549 --> 00:01:47,135 down here in Tennessee . This is a new 48 00:01:47,144 --> 00:01:50,404 day . Indeed . The landing marked the 49 00:01:50,415 --> 00:01:52,625 first time an MQ nine touched down on 50 00:01:52,635 --> 00:01:55,254 Tennessee Soil Woods who piloted the MQ 51 00:01:55,264 --> 00:01:57,375 nine on its first flight to Tennessee 52 00:01:57,375 --> 00:01:59,486 recognized the many support layers it 53 00:01:59,486 --> 00:02:01,708 took to make this exercise successful . 54 00:02:01,708 --> 00:02:03,764 That was a phenomenal experience and 55 00:02:03,764 --> 00:02:06,349 just uh completely humbled and , and 56 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:08,304 honored to be able to be the first 57 00:02:08,304 --> 00:02:10,416 pilot to landed here in Tennessee . I 58 00:02:10,416 --> 00:02:12,699 did not do that alone . The fact that 59 00:02:12,710 --> 00:02:14,710 that MQ nine touched down the first 60 00:02:14,710 --> 00:02:18,009 time as smooth as it did was credit to 61 00:02:18,020 --> 00:02:20,131 everybody in this operations group as 62 00:02:20,131 --> 00:02:21,130 well as this wing .