CREECH AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- In a tremendous shift for the future of the remotely piloted aircraft enterprise, the 11th Attack Squadron, previously a launch and recovery formal training unit, entered combat for the first time, October 13, 2025.
Previously, the squadron mission was to train USAF and allied nation MQ-9 aircrew how to manually take off and land the MQ-9 via line-of-sight controls. Now, they fly downrange, via SATCOM controls, and executing all phases of the MQ-9 mission. Enabled by the aircrafts new Automatic Takeoff and Landing Capability, or ATLC, and tremendous training and infrastructure efforts, the 11th accomplished this landmark transition in only 18 weeks.
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Douglas Kottraba, 11th Attack Squadron director of operations, said, “Our squadron was solely dedicated to teaching people how to take off and land an aircraft manually, and our mission was limited to start, taxi, take off, get airborne and hand over to another squadron. Those other squadrons would then work for folks on the ground, doing weapons employment, intelligence collection, and meeting the needs of the Combatant Commander. Now, our squadron is doing all of those things.”
The move comes as demand for the MQ-9 platform increases. Recently, the 25th Attack Group, which formerly fell under the 432nd Wing headquartered at Creech Air Force Base, Nev., was re-designated as the 25th Attack Wing. Upon its activation, the 25th ATKW became the sole operator of conventional MQ-9 operations for the U.S. Air Force. The 11th ATKS will now fly in combat under the new wing.
Unlike manned platforms, the weapons system is a part of the infrastructure as the aircrew operates from a ground control station, which can be compared to a traditional cockpit. The move was a Herculean effort between both units. First, they had to move 7 ground control stations from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., where the 25th ATKW is headquartered, to Creech AFB.
The 11th ATKS last sorties using C-band were conducted May 22, 2025. It was a day when crew after crew lined up to do their very last touch-and-gos, manually landing on and taking off from the runway at Creech.
“We all knew the shutdown of C band was inevitable but as someone whose entire flying career has been launch and recovery, it was both sad knowing that the skill I had honed so carefully was being thrust aside, but also sort of cathartic to sunset a part of the communities history and be able to do it surrounded by the greatest pilots and sensors in the community.
Sourcing personnel with experience in flying Mission Combat Element operations was also a concern that was swiftly and effectively addressed.
“When the 11th realized that we were going to go MCE, we started pulling personnel from different squadrons,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Ray Ramos, 11th ATKS pilot. “We've taken personnel from the 732nd Operations Group, and they have brought different experiences and experience levels. These folks came in from Shaw, Whiteman and Ellsworth, and now they're here. They're bringing all that conventional experience to the 11th, and that has allowed us to basically stand up mostly by ourselves.”
Day-to-day operations at the 11th will change dramatically, transitioning to 24/7/365 operations and generating sorties that can 20+ hours, completing the full series of the mission.
“From a manpower perspective, we got a lot bigger,” said Kottraba. “From a mission perspective, we're a lot bigger too. Before, I think they were probably spending a third of the day doing training. Teaching the crews how to do everything that they did before via ATLC and then also everything that happens over the full duration of a normal MQ-9 mission has been a huge effort.”
The 11th ATKS is a remotely piloted aircraft institution. Activated in July 1995 as the 11th Reconnaissance Squadron at Indian Springs Auxiliary Field, the 11th ATKS was Air Combat Command’s first Predator unit, flying the initial unarmed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance RQ-1 version of the aircraft. It is no surprise that it has led this transition effort.
“We went from having two elements and now we are combined, and we do everything we need to do in one single portion of training, rather than learning the basics of the MQ-9 and then divvying out different skillsets,” said Ramos. “Now, we have the ability to do it all together, so we're very much more knowledgeable than we used to be two or three years ago.”
This article is part 1 of a 2-part series. Stay tuned for part 2, detailing the civil engineers, communication technicians and maintainers that took part in this effort.