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US War in Iraq: President George Bush and Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
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First Predator Strike Takes out Anti-Air Threat

BBSNews - 2003-03-24 -- OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM - A U.S. Air Force MQ-1 Predator found and destroyed a radar-guided anti-aircraft artillery piece in southern Iraq Saturday at 5:25 EST making it the first Predator strike of Operation Iraqi Freedom, defense officials announced.

Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle cradles a Hellfire-C laser-guided missile under one wing, in preparation for Phase I weaponization feasibility testing.The multi-role Predator used one AGM-114K "Hellfire II" missile to strike an Iraqi ZSU-23-4 Mobile anti-aircraft artillery gun outside the southern Iraqi town of Al Amarah.

The Predator is an unmanned aerial vehicle remotely piloted from a ground control station.

"The RQ-1 model is used for reconnaissance, while the MQ-1 model is used as an unmanned strike platform," said Lt. Col. Brian Pierson, Chief of Reconnaissance Operations at the Combined Air Operations Center located on a desert air base in Southwest Asia.

The ZSU-23-4 is a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun with a self-contained radar dish for finding and tracking airborne targets. The anti-aircraft systems pose a significant threat to Coalition flying operations, said Pierson. Predators have executed successful strikes previously in Operation ENDURING FREEDOM and Operation SOUTHERN WATCH.

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From a US Central Command press release.

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