U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., announced that Moody Air Force Base is one of five bases that remain in the running to receive a new mission that would bring 434 new jobs to Valdosta. Out of an original pool of 19 bases from across the country, the U.S. Air Force is considering Moody Air Force Base as a potential new location to bring its mission control and launch and recovery units in support of the new MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft Wing.
 
“I’m always excited by the potential to bring new missions to Georgia’s military bases, and I am confident that Moody Air Force Base is fully prepared to take on this important mission,” said Isakson. “The capabilities of the Air Force’s new unmanned aircraft to identify and eliminate enemy targets as well as collect intelligence is a huge asset in our fight against global terror, and the control, launch and recovery mission elements are critical to its success. Moody is well positioned to accept this new mission, and our Valdosta community stands ready to welcome with open arms the military personnel and their families who would come with it.”
 
The MQ-9 Reaper is an unmanned armed aircraft, or drone, designed to operate at medium altitudes, often for extended periods of time. Its primary mission is to eliminate targets and it can also be used to collect intelligence. Weighing just under four thousand pounds, the MQ-9 Reaper can be disassembled and loaded into a single container for worldwide deployment.
 
Earlier this year, Isakson led the Georgia congressional delegation in sending a letter to Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James and to then-Air Force chief of staff General Mark Welsh advocating for Georgia to receive the MQ-9 mission.
 
The Air Force will continue to evaluate the remaining five bases, reducing it down to two final locations early next year. Final decisions are expected in summer 2017 and the winter of 2018.