General Atomics MQ-9

General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper
MQ-9A "Reaper" of the US Air Force
Type:	Ground combat drone
Design country:	United States
Manufacturer:	General Atomics Aeronautical Systems
First flight:	February 2, 2001
Commissioning:	October 2007
Production time:	In series production since 2006
Number of pieces:	269 (as of September 2019)

Play media file

Video recording of an MQ-9 Reaper in flight

The MQ-9 Reaper ( English " Grim Reaper ") is a drone from the US manufacturer General Atomics . It is based on the MQ-1 Predator , which is why they initially, Predator B was called. The MQ-9 is much larger and is primarily used for close air support . It is used by the United States Armed Forces and the Royal Air Force in Afghanistan , among others .

On March 20, 2020, the further development MQ-9B had its maiden flight. It is to be built in the versions "Sky Guardian" and "Sea Guardian". Compared to the original Reaper, the B version is a completely new development in order to obtain approval for international airspace

Development history

Antennas and sensors as well as for satellite communication of the NOAA - NASA prototype, 2005

General Atomics developed a larger and more heavily armed version (hunter-killer UAV) for the war on terror for the United States Department of Defense in 2000 based on its MQ-1 Predator . The first flight of the prototype took place on February 2, 2001. The drive consists of a turboprop engine with around 670 kW (900 shaft PS ). The drone, initially called Predator B , has a total weight of around 4760 kg, more than four times the total weight of the MQ-1 and can carry a weapon load that is more than ten times as large. A total of four under-wing stations can air-to-ground missiles , precision bombs or additional fuel tanks are mounted. For reconnaissance purposes and target acquisition, sensors in the optical and infrared range as well as radar are available.

In February 2003 the new drone was officially named MQ-9A and in September 2006 the name Reaper . In November 2006, the United States Air Force (USAF) activated the first Reaper Squadron (42nd Attack Squadron) at Creech Air Force Base , Nevada . From the beginning of 2009 to September 2019, the number of Reaper deployed by the American armed forces increased from 28 to 269. In total, the procurement of 433 machines is planned. At the end of 2019, the USAF had 39 squadrons equipped with MQ-9, which were mainly subordinate to the Air Combat Command , but also to the AFSOC and the AETC . The Air National Guard reports 18 of the 39 units.

Gorgon Stare is a surveillance system that was first tested on the drone in early 2011.

Users

MQ-9 Reaper over Afghanistan with four Hellfire missiles and two 500-pound bombs as typical armament

 Australia

Australia announced in November 2018 that it would order 12-16 MQ-9 Reaper Block 5 or MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones as part of the Air 7003 Phase 1 project, and the latter was selected a year later.

 Belgium

Belgium announced in October 2018 that it would order two MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones.

In August 2020, the contract for four drones and two ground stations was signed and it was announced that Great Britain and Belgium want to work closely together on the operation, maintenance, training and further development of their version, as well as certification according to European and NATO standards .

 France

France initially procured two MQ-9 Block 1s directly from the USAF for missions over Mali in 2013, but the Armée de l'air is to receive a total of 16 drones; 12 are currently on order. The first control center and the two MQ-9 Reaper drones were delivered at the end of 2013, the first missions took place over Mali and the third drone was taken over in May 2015. The second Block 1 system, consisting of the control center and three drones, was delivered in 2016. The third and fourth, from this point in Block 5 Standard, also consisting of a ground station and three drones, have been running since 2020. The procurement process for the armament started in 2019.

The drones have been operated since 2019 by the 33ème escadre de surveillance, de reconnaissance et d'attaque on the basis of 709 Cognac , with some units of the squadron being deployed in the Sahara / Sahel area from the Malian base 101 Niamey , where an MQ- 9 Block 1 was lost.

 Italy

The first two Aeronautica Militare Italiana (AMI) initially unarmed MQ-9s have been provisionally operational since mid-2011 at the 32º Stormo on the Amendola base ; Italy has ordered a total of six drones. On August 10, 2011, Italy used the drone for the first time for a mission over Libya . It was not armed until the end of 2015.

 Netherlands

The Dutch Defense Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert announced on November 21, 2013 that the Netherlands wanted to procure four MQ-9 Block 5 drones, but they were only ordered on July 17, 2018 during the Farnborough International Airshow. They will be operated by the 306th Squadron in Leeuwarden from 2020 .

 Spain

Spain initially announced two ground stations and four unarmed MQ-9s in November 2015. The delivery of this MQ-9 Block 5 took place at the end of 2019. The operator is the 47 Grupo Mixto de Fuerzas Aéreas , whose main base is the air force base at Talavera la Real . An advanced base of operations will be set up at Lanzarote Airport .

 United Kingdom

The Royal Air Force (RAF) also uses the MQ-9A in Afghanistan and controls it from Creech Air Force Base. The first squadron with initially five drones has been the 39th Squadron at Creech AFB since 2007 . In 2012 RAF Waddington became the home base of the MQ-9 armed force and another squadron was set up there with the 13th Squadron , with the 39th squadron and the aircraft still based in Creech. At the beginning of 2014, the fleet was increased by five more copies to 10 units.

The MQ-9A are to be replaced by MQ-9B, RAF designation Protector RG Mk.1 , which will also fly outside of closed airspace in Europe. In August 2020 it was announced that Great Britain and Belgium would work closely together on the operation, maintenance, training and further development of their version of the Protector Remotely Piloted Aircraft System, abbreviated RPAS, as well as on certification according to European and NATO standards.

 United States

United States Air Force

The USAF MQ-9s have been deployed in Afghanistan since September 25, 2007. They are controlled from Creech Air Force Base, Nevada , by a pilot and a reconnaissance officer. A local pilot only takes control of take-off and landing. The primary purpose is close air support . The typical armament for this consists of two laser-guided 500- pound bombs of the type GBU-12 Paveway II and four laser-guided air-to-surface missiles AGM-114 Hellfire . This allows the Reaper to remain in the air for around 15 hours, tracking, detecting and fighting moving targets if necessary. Unlike the MQ-1, the MQ-9 is only used in a secondary role for surveillance and reconnaissance. On October 27, 2007, an MQ-9 fired a weapon for the first time in combat. Until the MQ-1 was decommissioned, these were operated in mixed associations with the MQ-9.

On May 13, 2008, the 658th Aeronautical Systems Squadron (AESS) successfully conducted a test using a GBU-49 remote-controlled bomb deployed via GPS in the China Lake area of ​​the Naval Air Warfare Center , Weapons Division.

In March 2016 it became known that the machines of the first series ( Block 1 ) had a previously unidentifiable electronic fault, the USAF announced that in at least 17 cases an accident with the drones could only be prevented because a backup system identified the fault was able to compensate during the flight.

The USAF set up a drone base in Agadez , Niger in 2016, and the Greek Larisa has served as an alternate base since 2018 . In the USAFE area , Mirosławiec / Märkisch Friedland in Polish West Pomerania is the only permanent base; Another alternative is the Transylvanian Câmpia Turzii / Jerischmarkt .

United States Navy

The United States Navy (USN) tested a version of the MQ-9 called Mariner for surveillance missions and wants to control entire cities with it. Together with the Boeing P-8 Poseidon, the drone was supposed to ensure continuous surveillance of the sea. In the selection process, however, the design was subject to the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 N.

United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps has deployed two MQ-9As in Afghanistan since 2018. These initially belonged to the USAF, but were acquired by the USN for the Marine Corps in 2020.

NASA

For several years now, NASA has been using a further developed drone under the name "Altair" for various tasks in altitude research. The United States Department of Homeland Security has been using unarmed versions of the Reaper to patrol state borders since 2005.

See also : Drone Strikes in Pakistan

Earlier planning in Germany

The Federal Ministry of Defense was considering purchasing five Reaper units for deployment abroad in Afghanistan , but decided in 2009 to lease three IAI Herons from the Israeli manufacturer IAI , initially for a period of three years, then extended to April 2015. For the After the initially planned expiry of the leasing contract in October 2014, the purchase of Reaper drones was considered alongside other options.

Technical specifications

MQ-9 Reaper at Creech AFB

The MQ-9 during an early flight test in 2001

Parameter	MQ-9A Reaper data
length	10.97 m
span	20.12 m
height	3.80 m
Empty mass	2223 kg
Max. Takeoff mass	4763 kg
Fuel capacity	1815 kg
Top speed	482 km / h
Marching speed	without external loads: 313 km / h with external loads: 276 km / h
Service ceiling	15,400 m
Use radius	3065 km
Max. Flight duration	approx. 27 h
drive	a Honeywell TPE-331-10 turboprop with around 900 hp (670 kW)

Armament

Up to 1361 kg weapon load on four external load carriers:

• AGM-114 Hellfire
• AGM-176 Griffin
• GBU-12 Paveway II
• GBU-38 JDAM
• GBU-39 SDB (planned).

commitment

On January 3, 2020, the Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani - along with other inmates - was killed by a rocket attack by a US MQ-9 Reaper on a motor vehicle column near Baghdad Airport .

Accidents

• On December 13, 2011, an unarmed MQ-9 crashed at Mahé Airport , presumably due to an engine failure. Nobody got hurt. From the Seychelles, the MQ-9s fly missions to monitor shipping and combat piracy in the Horn of Africa .

media

• In The A-Team - The Film , the A-Team must escape two reapers in a Lockheed C-130 Hercules, which they bombard with air-to-air missiles. Unlike in the film, Reaper drones are not armed with machine guns.
• In Eagle Eye - Out of Control , the supercomputer ARIIA brings an MQ-9 under its control and tries with the help of the drone to stop the protagonist Jerry Shaw, accompanied by the agent Thomas Morgan.
• The US feature film Good Kill from 2014 deals with the drone attacks in Pakistan from the perspective of the pilots at Creech Air Force Base.
• The 2015 thriller Eye in the Sky is about a military drone mission against a group of al-Shabaab terrorists in Nairobi, which sparked a conflict among legal advisors, the military and politicians when a child unexpectedly came into the area.
• In Fast & Furious 7 , the antagonist uses a Predator drone in an aerial chase to chase the protagonist and his friends.

Web links

Commons : General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

• Predator B UAS. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, 2013, accessed on June 12, 2013 (information from the manufacturer). 
• Test with GBU-49 bomb on May 13, 2008

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} United States Air Force Air Power Yearbook 2020 , Key Publishing, 2019, p. 94
2. ↑ Christian Kanig: MQ-9B SkyGuardian - production reaches new milestone. In: ES&T. April 1, 2020, accessed April 8, 2020 . 
3. ↑ MQ-9B RPA. In: General Atomics. Retrieved April 8, 2020 . 
4. ↑ Australia makes its pick for drone fleet, Defense News, November 16, 2018, accessed November 17, 2018.
5. ↑ Australia selects MQ-9B SkyGuardian UAS for potential acquisition, Janes, November 28, 2019, accessed November 28, 2019.
6. ↑ Belgium chooses F-35, invests in armored vehicles and MALE UAS, Janes, October 25, 2018, accessed October 27, 2018.
7. ↑ ^{a b} Belgian SkyGuardian UAS contract awarded. In: www.janes.com. August 17, 2020, accessed on August 20, 2020 . 
8. ↑ ^{a b} UK And Belgium Agree To Collaborate On Protector Drones. In: www.forces.net. August 18, 2020, accessed on August 18, 2020 . 
9. ^ French Air Force gets third Reaper UAV ( Memento June 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) - Jane's, May 31, 2015
10. ↑ La formation sur Reaper s'étoffe, Journal Aviation, October 27, 2017.
11. ↑ Philippe Chapleau: Un nouveau système de drones MQ-9 Block 5 livré la semaine dernière. January 15, 2020, accessed August 28, 2020 . 
12. ↑ France begins process of arming Block 5 Reapers, Janes, October 29, 2019.
13. ↑ Francia pierde un dron Reaper en Niger, Infodefensa 22 November 2018th
14. ↑ Flightglobal: Italy flies first Predator B sortie over Libya. Retrieved September 12, 2011 . 
15. ↑ Italy to arm Reapers, Janes, November 3, 2015 ( Memento of March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
16. ↑ Dutch sign contract for MQ-9 Reapers, nl.usembassy.gov, July 17, 2018.
17. ^ RNLAF Reaper operators train in US, Janes, January 21, 2019.
18. ↑ Spanish Air Force receives first Predators, Janes, December 17, 2019
19. ↑ https://www.fuerteventurazeitung.de/2017/10/lanzarote-wird-operationsbasis-fuer-reaper-drohnen-der-spanischen-luftwaffe/
20. ↑ James Drew: USAF still doesn't know why its Block 1 MQ-9s fail. In: Flightglobal.com. March 17, 2016, accessed on March 17, 2016 (English): "The US Air Force says it has avoided 17 more MQ-9 Reapers crashes since last April thanks to a backup electrical system that has been installed as a safeguard against a still -undetermined problem with the starter generator on the Block 1 version's Honeywell turboprop engine. " 
21. ↑ Sahel zone as an extended combat area, orf.at, October 11, 2016, accessed October 11, 2016.
22. ↑ USAF Reaper deployment to Greece is part of deepening US – Greek co-operation, Janes, June 5, 2018, accessed June 7, 2018.
23. ↑ Telepolis January 3, 2011: We can see everything.Retrieved : April 22, 2011.
24. ↑ Navy buys two used MQ-9A Reaper drones, C4ISRnet, June 24, 2020.
25. ↑ http://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/warum-heron-1-doch-gewann;2375043
26. ↑ http://augengeradeaus.net/2014/01/dronewatch-leasingvertrag-fur-heron-drohnen-verlangert/
27. ↑ http://www.ftd.de/politik/deutschland/:kauf-statt-leasing-bundeswehr-soll-reaper-drohne-bekommen/70060016.html ( Memento from July 8, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
28. ↑ Michael Crowley, Falih Hassan, Eric Schmitt: US Strike in Iraq Kills Qassim Suleimani, Commander of Iranian Forces. In: The New York Times. January 2, 2020, accessed on January 4, 2020 . 
29. ↑ Pforzheimer Zeitung ( Memento from September 6, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )