MQ-9A training at Gwangju Air Base last month on the 24th. Yonhap News.

It has been identified that the U.S. Air Force's advanced unmanned aerial vehicle 'MQ-9A' (hereinafter Reaper) has been deployed to Gwangju Air Base and has begun its rotational deployment mission for U.S. Forces Korea.

According to DVID, the U.S. Department of Defense's photo and video archive, the Reaper conducted training at Gwangju Air Base on the 22nd and 24th of last month.

Over 20 photos capturing the Reaper during the training were released on DVID.

The photo captions included statements such as "MQ-9A belonging to the 163rd Attack Wing of the California Air National Guard" and "This arrival marks the first instance of the Republic of Korea operating the Reaper in a long-term stationing format," effectively formalizing the Reaper's rotational deployment to U.S. Forces Korea.

The Reaper, known as the 'assassin of the sky,' is equipped with both offensive and reconnaissance capabilities.

Amid concerns of U.S. Forces Korea reduction due to the recent troop redeployment plan by the Donald Trump administration, the deployment of advanced U.S. military assets, including the Reaper, to the Korean Peninsula continues.

The U.S. Army's latest reconnaissance aircraft, 'Athene-R,' was deployed to the Korean Peninsula earlier this year, and F-35 series stealth fighters have been deployed to the Korean Peninsula for purposes such as participation in training.

MQ-9A training at Gwangju Air Base last month on the 22nd. Yonhap News.

Yonhap News