Kacey Roberts
General Atomics’ aeronautical systems business has handed over the first of the eight unmanned aircraft systems being manufactured for the U.S. Marine Corps.
Naval Air Systems Command said Wednesday the MQ-9 Reapers are intended to perform long-distance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions as well as data relays in the Indo-Pacific Command area.
The first delivered Reaper was turned over to the Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 1 in Yuma, Arizona, which will use the aircraft for operational missions abroad, said Leigh Irwin, MQ-9 program director at USMC.
The delivery is in partial fulfillment of the $135.8 million MQ-9A Extended Range aircraft production contract that General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. booked under the potential $7.4 billion Agile Reaper Enterprise Solution acquisition vehicle of the U.S. Air Force.
