Predator and Reaper UAV units are a hot commodity these days...so hot that troops training in Green Flag exercises for deployments have to rely on simulations of the General Atomics UAV systems as they learn to work with the real-time video imagery of potential targets.
Air Combat Command, working with Joint Forces Command, recently launched a program to fit two CAP Cessna 182s with a Predator ball, and to train CAP pilots -- volunteers, and civilians -- to fly missions mimicking Predators during exercises. The first group of 18 pilots started training in mid-September. They, in turn, will train dozens more CAP crews.
And to think...two decades ago when I was a CAP cadet, we were excited to go work on a downed aircraft search. Sign me up!
UAVs are cool, but this Cessna requires even less (ground) support than an unmanned UAV. Good STOL and dirt strip capable as well, and cheap with satelite bandwidth as a bonus.
If the imagery taken can be used to train the troops, then perhaps they can be used to support the troops in real conflicts as well.
Slow and extremely vulnerable to ground fire of course, but the successfull TF ODIN proved there's a use for this type of modified off-the-shelf aircraft.
Oh, and just an addendum: someone earlier posted that this was Official Use Only information and that posting it was endangering crews. CAP did a press release. And a photo release. So by definition it's not Official Use Only.