Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 1 (VMU-1) MQ-9A Reaper "Watchdogs”

Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 1 (VMU-1) is an unmanned aerial vehicle squadron in the United States Marine Corps that operates the MQ-9A Reaper. They are based out of Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona and provide reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition for the I Marine Expeditionary Force. They fall under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 13 and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.
On 21 January 1987, 1st Remotely Piloted Vehicle Company was activated at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) Twentynine Palms, California as part of the 7th Marine Amphibious Brigade. On 24 June 1987, 3rd RPV Company was activated at (MCAGCC) also as part of the 7th Marine Amphibious Brigade. On 15 December 1989, 1st and 3rd RPV Companies were reassigned to 1st Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Intelligence Group.
Operation Desert Storm
19 March 2003 saw the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom with VMU-1 in direct support of the 1st Marine Division. During its first combat sortie in support of the invasion, the squadron located and reported an enemy artillery battery that was subsequently destroyed by friendly artillery. On 22 March, VMU-1 crossed the line of departure into Iraq and redeployed to Jalibah Airfield from where they supported Task Force Tarawa’s assault through An Nasariyah. On 1 April, the squadron convoyed to Qalat Sikar to support Regimental Combat Team 1 operations in the vicinity of Al Kut. VMU-1 moved to An Numaniyah on 4 April from where one of their Pioneers was the first Marine UAV to fly over Baghdad. 8 April, saw the squadron return to Qalat Sikar, once again in direct support of Task Force Tarawa. On 10 April, the squadron returned to An Numaniyah, still in direct support of Task Force Tarawa. On 25 April, the squadron relocated to Ad Diwaniyah in support of 1st Marine Division and remained there until 25 May when they returned to Al Kut. VMU-1 returned to the United States on 12 September 2003 having flown 414 sorties for 1414 flight hours, relocated on eight occasions, and convoyed more than 1000 road miles. For their exceptional achievement, VMU-1 was recognized with the Marine Corps Aviation Association’s prestigious James Maguire Award for 2003.
On 1 August 2004 VMU-1 returned to Iraq. Operating the Pioneer UAV from Camp Taqaddum, Iraq, the squadron detected and reported armed enemy personnel on 93 occasions, enemy weapons systems on 37 occasions, enemy personnel emplacing improvised explosive devices on 14 occasions, and enemy personnel preparing to ambush friendly personnel on six occasions. Perhaps the squadron’s most significant achievement however was its participation in Operation Phantom Fury between 7 and 19 November 2004. During that operation, the I Marine Expeditionary Force took back the city of Fallujah from insurgents. VMU-1 flew more than 50 sorties and 250 flight hours during the offensive and adjusted artillery, coordinated air strikes, and collected battle damage assessment against more than 50 targets in and around Fallujah. The squadron gained national attention for this effort in author Bing West’s article "Nowhere to Hide," featured as the cover story for the February 2005 issue of Popular Mechanics magazine. The essence of this article was later republished as a chapter in the same author’s best-selling book No True Glory, published in September 2005. VMU-1 returned to the United States on 4 March 2005 having flown 757 sorties for 3159 flight hours, a staggering total that equated to more than a decade’s worth of peacetime flight hours flown in only seven months.
2010s
On 1 October 2014, control of VMU-1 was administratively transferred from MACG-38 to Marine Aircraft Group 13 (MAG-13) at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona.
During the summer of 2016, the squadron began the transition to the RQ-21A Blackjack.
During the fall of 2018, VMU-1 began to operate the MQ-9A Reaper on a contractor owned/contractor operated basis.
In 2019 While simultaneously transitioning to MQ-9A Reaper, VMU-1 was still tasked to partake in WESTPAC 21-1 with the 15th Marine Expeditionary unit for the last RQ-21 Blackjack deployment aboard the USS San Diego. The RQ-21 detachment departed October 2020 and returned May 2021. Upon return the maintenance department began their divestment of RQ-21 which allowed VMU-1 to solely focus on the integration of the MQ-9A Reaper into the Marine Corps.
2020s
In the fall of 2021 VMU-1 accepted its first two MQ-9A aircraft becoming the first operationally ready MQ-9A squadron in the United States Marine Corps