General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has delivered the final MQ-9A Reaper Block 5 Extended Range (ER) uncrewed aerial system (UAS) to the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC).
The milestone represents the completion of a three-year programme to deliver 20 of the extended-range drones, 18 of which are already in use, according to a recent press statement from the U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Systems Command (Navair).
“This program has been a model of how to do things right,” said Capt. Dennis Monagle, program manager for Multi-Mission Tactical UAS, whose office managed the acquisition effort.
“We leveraged a strong relationship with industry and the air force to move quickly, stay on schedule, and deliver advanced capability to the fleet with minimal friction. It’s been a very smooth process, proof that when the right teams align, we can move at the speed the marines need.”
The MQ-9A is a multi-role, medium-altitude, long-endurance UAS designed to support a variety of missions including ISR and maritime domain awareness.
As per the Navair statement: “The USMC’s adaptation of the system represents a leap in expeditionary capability, enabling operations across contested and distributed environments.”
The programme team is in the process of integrating new capabilities onto the platform, including the SkyTower II airborne network extension pod. The initiative remains on track to achieve Initial Operational Capability (IOC) later this year.
- You can read more details on the Navair website
