the Hunter in January 2013, extending its missions into 2014. On 7 October 2013, the U.S. Army opened a UAS facility at Vilseck Army Airfield in Germany. A letter of agreement between the U.S. and Germany allows the 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Command to use two ‘air bridges’ in the east of the country to train operators, marking the first time a U.S. UAV will fly beyond the limits of military training areas. Two unarmed MQ-5B Hunters were used solely for training drone operators. From 1996 to January 2014, the MQ-5B Hunter unmanned aerial system flew over 100,000 hours with the U.S. Army. On 14 March 2014, an RQ-5 was reported downed by a Crimean self-defense unit over Russian occupied Ukrainian territory, although Russia did not substantiate the claim and the Pentagon denies it operated such a vehicle over Crimea. On 16 December 2015, the Hunter flew its final flight in Army service at Fort Hood. Since entering service in 1995, the aircraft had been deployed to the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan. It was deployed to the Balkans four times between 1999 and 2002, accumulating 6,400 flight hours, and was the first Army UAS to cross into Iraq in 2003, proving itself for the first time in contingency operations as an intelligence asset to commanders at all levels and flying more hours than any other NATO reconnaissance platform. One capability unique to the Hunter was its relay mode that allowed one aircraft to control another at extended ranges or over terrain obstacles. By the end of Operation New Dawn in 2011, Hunters had flown more than 110,000 hours, its battlefield success clearly showing the value of UASs in combat operations as a direct result. While Army operators transitioned to the larger and more capable General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle, the Hunter is being transferred to government-owned, contractor-operated units supporting operations overseas. International use In 1998, the Belgian Air Component purchased three B-Hunter UAV-systems, each consisting of six aircraft and two ground control stations. Operational from 2004 in the 80 UAV Squadron, 13 aircraft were in service in 2020. The last Hunter was withdrawn from Belgian service on 28 August 2020, to be replaced by the MQ-9B SkyGuardian. Specifications See also References External links Hunter RQ-5A / MQ-5B E Hunter / Hunter II Unmanned aerial vehicles of the United States 1990s United States military reconnaissance aircraft Twin-boom aircraft High-wing aircraft