Military Drones Support Lone Star State Flood Recovery

MQ-9 Reaper UAVs aid search and rescue operations as record floods devastate Central Texas.

Ryan Ewing

Monday, July 07, 2025 at 04:00 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

An MQ-9 drone. [Credit: Texas Military Department]

Key Takeaways:

The Texas Military Department deployed an MQ-9 Reaper drone to assist in search and rescue (SAR) operations following severe flooding in Kerr County and the surrounding Central Texas region.
The drone provided critical "eye in the sky" incident awareness, enhancing situational awareness for rescue units and supporting 525 rescues or evacuations.
The catastrophic flash flooding, caused by up to 20 inches of rain from July 4-7, has resulted in a confirmed death toll of 91 and over 41 people still missing, particularly from youth camps.

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The Texas Military Department has deployed unmanned aerial systems (UAVs) to assist in search and rescue efforts following severe flooding in Kerr County and surrounding regions. The floods have caused significant damage and prompted widespread evacuations as emergency teams continue operations across affected areas.

In a statement delivered during a press briefing on Sunday, Major General Thomas Suelzer, who serves as the adjutant general of Texas, detailed the deployment of an MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft.