New military drones at Hawaii base certified safe for flight

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A remotely piloted aircraft has passed a rigorous Naval air safety certification process, the military announced Thursday.

Marine Unmmaned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 3 (VMU-3) successfully test flew the MQ-9A aircraft at Kaneohe Bay after more than a year of preparation, earning the “safe for flight certification.”

That means the squadron is now able to independently operate the drone.

“The arrival of the new aircraft postures VMU-3 to better support a wide range of operations in the Indo-Pacific region,” Hannah Venables, Communication Strategy and Operations for the Marine Corps Base Hawaii said, in a press release.

Now, the squadron will focus on tactical development.

Later this summer, the squadron will showcase the MQ-9A.