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🇺🇸 USstrikeactive
MQ-9 Reaper
Also known as: Reaper · Predator B · Hunter Killer
Manufacturer: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.
MALE strike-recon UCAV operated by USAF and partners. Carries up to four Hellfire and two GBU-12/38 weapons; SeaGuardian variant for maritime missions.
SPECIFICATIONS
Category
strike
In service since
2007
Weight
4760 kg
Payload
1700 kg
Range
1850 km
Endurance
1680 min
Speed
482 km/h
Control
satcom
EW resistance
high
Autonomy
operator-on-loop
Unit cost (USD)
$30,000,000 – $32,000,000
KNOWN OPERATORS
NOTABLE USE CASES
Strike on IRGC-QF Maj-Gen Soleimani 3 Jan 2020 (Baghdad airport); shot down over Black Sea by Russian Su-27 14 Mar 2023; downed multiple times over Yemen by Houthis 2023-2024.
RECENT EVENTS
doctrine-change2026-09-04US Air Force accelerates Massed Modular Aircraft program to replace MQ-9A Reaper with ~$10M drone🇺🇸doctrine-change2026-09-03US Air Force accelerates effort to replace MQ-9 Reaper after losses🇺🇸doctrine-change2026-09-03US Air Force accelerates MQ-9 Reaper successor program after combat losses tied to Iran operations🇺🇸strike2026-09-01IRGC claims Iranian air defenses shot down a MQ-9 Reaper after it entered Iran's airspace🇮🇷seizure2026-08-07Report claims Iran obtained largely intact MQ-9 Reaper and Hermes 900 drones🇮🇷doctrine-change2026-07-29US Air Force to begin concept refinement for MQ-9A Reaper replacement competition next fiscal year🇺🇸exercise2026-07-27Aerostar tests Lightning high-altitude balloon as launch platform for Icarus Apollo-R surveillance dronedeployment2026-07-20Anduril unveils Thunder autonomous hybrid-electric tiltrotor combat drone concept at Farnborough Airshow🇬🇧
See all events →SOURCES
Data confidence: 95 / 100. Catalog is in active development.