The Royal Air Force’s (RAF) 39 Squadron has received an additional Reaper remotely piloted aircraft in Afghanistan to support ground troops.

The Reaper will deliver a total of 36 hours of video surveillance in support of troops on the ground every day of the year.

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The aircraft boasts a 66ft wing span and is powered by a turboprop engine that allows it to stay in the air for more than 16 hours at a time.

It will carry a multi-spectral targeting system to collect video from thousands of feet above insurgents, as well as Hellfire missiles and laser-guided bombs.

The existing aircraft has completed 13,000 hours in direct support of ground forces in Afghanistan since October 2007.

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