They cost about $3,500 per flight hour, compared to about $8,000 per flight hour to operate, for example, an F-16, according to General Atomics.Īccording to the Air Force, for $56.5 million they can purchase four MQ-9 aircraft with sensors, ground control station and a satellite link. The MQ-9 drone, which is built by General Atomics, has a wingspan of 66 feet (20 meters) and is about 36 feet (11 meters) long. The self-protection pod was successfully tested in October 2020 and is one of many new capabilities for the MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft tested last year. Unlike most other aircraft, drones can loiter for hours gathering intelligence material. The MQ-9 'Reaper' unmanned aerial vehicle can loiter at up to 50,000 feet for more than 27 hours, gathering intelligence with sophisticated cameras, sensors and radars. Department of Homeland Security, NASA, UK Royal Air Force, the Italian Air Force, the French Air Force and the Spanish Air Force.ĭrones are generally less expensive than manned aircraft with similar capabilities, and are safer for operators since they do not require a pilot. MQ-9s have also been purchased by the U.S. The MQ-9 Reaper has been stalking its targets for 14 years today, it’s a notorious terrorist hunter. A fully operational system consists of sensor and weapon-equipped aircraft, ground control station, Predator Primary Satellite Link and spare equipment along with operations and maintenance crews for deployed 24-hour missions. The Reaper, which was delivered to the Air Force 16 years ago, can also be equipped with weapons such as air-to-ground missiles. Features The Reaper is part of a remotely piloted aircraft system. It has a 66 foot wingspan, a Honeywell engine, can carry 3,900 pounds of fuel and travel at a speed of 240 knots 'true air speed'. Neil Ballecer The General Atomics-built MQ-9 Reaper a medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle with millions of hours of operation under its belt has had a ubiquitous presence over battlefields in the Middle East. ![]() The MQ-9 "Reaper" unmanned aerial vehicle can loiter at up to 50,000 feet for more than 27 hours, gathering intelligence with sophisticated cameras, sensors and radars. Air Force’s MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft has carried out its first landing on a dirt landing zone as part of a training exercise held at the Nine Mile Training Center near Fort. The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (sometimes called Predator B) is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations, developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) primarily for the United States Air Force (USAF). MQ-9 Reaper Air National Guard photo by Tech.
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