BALAD AIR BASE - A cool place

BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq—In the cool of a hardened aircraft shelter, a Predator unmanned aerial vehicle is stored between missions here at the largest Predator operation in the world. Flying missions that last an average of 20 hours, Airmen from the 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron provide ground commanders “persistant stare” by following suspected insurgent activities for long periods of time. This persistance increases reliability of intelligence leads and helps ground commanders avoid collateral damage. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jim Croxon)