Reaper | Common News Update

Sep192020 by adminNo Comments

General Atomics nets $7.4B MQ-9 Reaper contract with U.S. Air Force

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Sept. 18 (UPI) -- A $ 7.4 billion contract between the U.S. Air Force and General Atomics, announced this week, will field MQ-9 Reaper drones faster, the Air Force said. The five-year Agile Reaper Enterprise Solution contract for the unmanned surveillance, intelligence, reconnaissance and strike-capability aircraft was awarded on Thursday. Advertisement It calls for delivery of up to 36 aircraft per year from the San Diego-based company. With a $ 7.4 billion ceiling, it is expected to reduce the time to deliver operational MQ-9s to operational units by 35%. The Air Force regards it as one of its most in-demand weapons, an Air Force Life Cycle Management Center statement said on Thursday. The ARES contract has a pre-negotiated $ 3.3 billion price-quantity-curve, allowing the Air Force and...

Dec262018 by adminNo Comments

General Atomics, Raytheon contracted for Reaper drone support

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Dec. 24 (UPI) -- General Atomics and Raytheon have each been awarded contracts for support of the MQ-9 Reaper, one for sensors and the other for overall program support, that come to a total of more than $ 350 million. The contracts, announced Friday by the Department of Defense, cover separate areas of sustainment for the unmanned aerial system used for surveillance and support of ground troops, though they have also been used for emergency search and rescue and other missions. The MQ-9 has a flight ceiling of about 40,000 feet and can be armed with laser-guided missiles and bombs, including the Hellfire and GBU-12 Paveway, as well as GPS-guided GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions. The drone has long-range endurance and loiter time and carries a variety of infrared cameras laser designa...

Jun152018 by adminNo Comments

General Atomics to upgrade radar on Reaper drones

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June 15 (UPI) -- General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has been awarded a contract by the Air Force for upgrades to radars on the MQ-9 remotely piloted aircraft, the Pentagon announced this week. The contract, announced Thursday by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center and worth more than $ 22 million, comes under a firm-fixed-price modification to a previously awarded contract for production on the MQ-9 Reaper. Specifically, General Atomics will produce the upgraded Lynx Block 20A synthetic aperture radar for installation on the MQ-9 Block 5 version of the drone. Work on the contract will be done in Poway, Calif., and is expected to be finished by June 31, 2020. General Atomics has been obligated the full value of the contract at the time of award from fiscal 2016 aircraft procureme...

Jul12017 by adminNo Comments

New Reaper drone variant performs first combat mission

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June 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. Air Force reported Thursday that its new Block 5 variant of the MQ-9 Reaper drone has performed its first combat mission against Islamist terrorists.The recent 16-hour sortie, flown June 23 in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, involved the unmanned aerial vehicle dropping a GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions bomb and firing two AGM-114 Hellfire missiles in support of ground forces in the Middle East.Operation Inherent Resolve is the U.S. military name given to operations against ISIS fighters."Working in conjunction with coalition joint terminal attack controllers, other MQ-9 aircraft and crews, our aircrews employed two Hellfires and one GBU-38," Maj. Dan, the 432nd Wing director of operations, said in a press release. "All three strikes met the ground for...