The U.S. Marine Corps has deployed a unit equipped with MQ-9A Reaper drones to the South China Sea to provide support to Philippine forces there amid a series of clashes with Chinese vessels. The unit is deployed on a temporary basis and the drones are unarmed, a Marine Corps spokesperson told Defense News in a statement. “At the request of the Philippine government, Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron (VMU) 1 is temporarily deployed to the Philippines to support Philippine regional