MQ-9 Reaper
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems · United States · first flew 2001 · reconnaissance aircraft
The MQ-9 Reaper is the definitive armed remotely piloted aircraft, a turboprop hunter-killer that can loiter for over a day with Hellfire missiles and laser-guided bombs. It first flew on 2 February 2001 as the Predator B.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × turboprop, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 11 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | V-tail |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Remotely piloted — no cockpit, just a bulged satcom nose and a sensor ball under the chin
- Long slender straight wings with a turboprop pusher propeller at the tail
- Upward V-tail plus a ventral fin below
Spot glider-like straight wings on a slim fuselage with a bulbous nose, a chin sensor turret, and the giveaway V-tail with a pusher propeller behind it. In flight it is slow, high and almost silent from the ground.
Specifications
- The MQ-9 Reaper has a length of 11 m (36 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 20.1 m (66 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 482 km/h (300 mph).
- Typical crew: 0 (unmanned).
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
General Atomics scaled up the MQ-1 Predator with a Honeywell TPE331 turboprop, transforming speed, ceiling and payload; the USAF declared it operational in 2007. It has since flown persistent strike and surveillance missions over Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and beyond.
Variants
Versions include the baseline MQ-9A, the extended-range fit with wing tanks, the maritime SeaGuardian, and the successor MQ-9B SkyGuardian ordered by the RAF as the Protector RG1. NASA and US Homeland Security fly civil-registered derivatives.
Where you'll see it
The RAF has operated Reapers since 2007, with crews at RAF Waddington flying combat missions by satellite link — Nos 13 and 39 Squadrons pioneered British remote air power over Afghanistan and against ISIS. France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and others also fly it.
Related aircraft
- General Atomics Altus
- General Atomics MQ-1 Predator
- General Atomics MQ-20 Avenger
- AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven
- AeroVironment RQ-14 Dragon Eye
- Elbit Systems Silver Arrow Sniper
- Sentinel R.1
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