30 Facts About MQ-9 Reaper

General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper is an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems primarily for the United States Air Force.

MQ-9 Reaper is the first hunter-killer UAV designed for long-endurance, high-altitude surveillance.

MQ-9 Reaper is a larger, heavier, and more capable aircraft than the earlier General Atomics MQ-1 Predator; it can be controlled by the same ground systems used to control MQ-1s.

The greater power allows the MQ-9 Reaper to carry 15 times more ordnance payload and cruise at about three times the speed of the MQ-1.

The MQ-9 Reaper is used by the US Customs and Border Protection, and the militaries of several other countries.

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MQ-9 Reaper crews, stationed at bases such as Creech Air Force Base, near Las Vegas, Nevada, can hunt for targets and observe terrain using multiple sensors, including a thermographic camera.

MQ-9 Reaper carries a variety of weapons including the GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bomb, the AGM-114 Hellfire II air-to-ground missiles, the AIM-9 Sidewinder, and the GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition.

In June 2015, a study by the USAF's Scientific Advisory Board identified several improvements for operating the MQ-9 Reaper in contested airspace; adding readily available sensors, weapons, and threat detection and countermeasures could increase situational awareness and enable riskier deployments.

In September 2020, a MQ-9 Reaper was flown carrying two Hellfire missiles on each of the stations previously reserved for 500 lb bombs or fuel tanks.

Predator and MQ-9 Reaper were designed for military operations and not intended to operate among crowded airline traffic.

An MQ-9 Reaper can adopt various mission kits and combinations of weapons and sensors payloads to meet combat requirements.

MQ-9 Reaper was used as a test bed for Gorgon Stare, a wide-area surveillance sensor system.

USAF has bought 38 MQ-9 Reaper Extended Range versions, carrying external fuel tanks, the heavy-weight landing gear, a four-bladed propeller, a new fuel management system which ensures fuel and thermal balance among external tank, wing, and fuselage fuel sources, and an alcohol-water injection system to shorten required runway takeoff length.

On 28 October 2007, the Air Force Times reported an MQ-9 Reaper had achieved its first "kill", successfully firing a Hellfire missile against Afghanistan insurgents in the Deh Rawood region of the mountainous Oruzgan province.

On 13 September 2009, positive control of an MQ-9 Reaper was lost during a combat mission over Afghanistan, after which the control-less drone started flying towards the Afghan border with Tajikistan.

On 13 November 2015, the Pentagon reported that an MQ-9 Reaper had killed ISIL member Mohammed Emwazi, popularly known as "Jihadi John", who was responsible for executing several Western prisoners.

On 2 October 2017, US Central Command stated that an MQ-9 Reaper had been shot down by Houthi air defense systems over Sanaa in western Yemen the previous day.

On 21 August 2019, another un-armed MQ-9 Reaper was shot down by Houthis over Dhamar, Yemen, by a Yemini made Fater-1 missile, an improved SA-6.

On 23 November 2019, a US MQ-9 Reaper was shot down by a Pantsir system operated by the Libyan National Army or Wagner Group over Tripoli, Libya.

In November 2006, NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center obtained an MQ-9 Reaper, named Ikhana, for the Suborbital Science Program within the Science Mission Directorate.

On 14 October 2013, an MQ-9 Reaper began patrolling the Manitoba portion of the US -Canada border.

In January 2018, the Belgian Ministry of Defence reportedly decided on the MQ-9 Reaper to fulfill its medium-altitude long-range UAV requirement.

On 24 September 2013, France's first pair of MQ-9 Reaper pilots conducted a two-hour training sortie at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico.

In July 2014, a French MQ-9 Reaper helped to locate the wreckage of Air Algerie Flight 5017, which had crashed in Mali.

On 20 November 2019, an Italian Air Force MQ-9 Reaper was shot down by a Pantsir system operated by the Libyan National Army or Wagner Group, near the city of Tarhuna, Libya.

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Dutch MQ-9 Reaper is to have the Synthetic Aperture Radar with the Maritime Search option and a special ground search radar with more range and electronic sensors to detect ground radar and signals.

The MQ-9 Reaper was selected over the Heron TP mainly for commonality with NATO allies who use the airframe.

On 10 November 2014, the MoD reported that an RAF MQ-9 Reaper had conducted its first airstrike against Islamic State forces, firing a Hellfire missile at militants placing an IED near Bayji.

Navalized MQ-9 Reaper, named Mariner, was proposed for the US Navy's Broad Area Maritime Surveillance program.

In November 2020, a company-owned MQ-9 Reaper carried out a trial releasing sonobuoys, then processing information from them to track a training target.