Aviation Week is reporting on a series of weapons clearance tests that the U.S. Army is conducting in order to prepare an unmanned aerial vehicle for use in the Afghanistan theater of operations.

 

Destined for service with quick reaction capability units in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. Army's MQ-1C UAV is undergoing live fire testing, demonstrating its ability to launch Hellfire missiles.

 

The Army is hoping for initial production for in February, with the goal of deploying the aircraft to Afghanistan by July.