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New UAV Capability Demonstrated for First Time

Oct 3, 2020

An MQ- Reaper remotely piloted aircraft performs aerial maneuvers over Creech Air Force Base, Nev., June 25, 2015. The MQ-9 Reaper is an armed, multi-mission, medium-altitude, long-endurance remotely piloted aircraft that is employed primarily as an intelligence-collection asset and secondarily against dynamic execution targets. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Cory D. Payne/Not Reviewed)

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An enhanced capability was demonstrated during a test flight of the MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle. The UAV doubled its missile capacity, carrying eight AGM-114 Hellfires for the first time thanks to a new software upgrade.

The US 556th Test and Evaluation Squadron flew the Reaper at Creech Air Force Base, Nev., demonstrating the new capability that is part of the MQ-9 Operational Flight Program 2409 — an upgrade that will be fielded by the end of the calendar year.

With the new capability, the Reaper can carry two missiles, each across four stations. It is also compatible with 500-pound bombs or fuel tanks.

New requirements from Air Combat Command and Air Force Special Operations Command drove the development of the new capability. With the additional capacity, aircrews will be able to improve their dynamic target ability while also defending isolated personnel.

The AGM-114 Hellfire is the key weapon for the US Air Force’s remotely piloted aircraft fleet, and it’s regularly used in counter terror operations. It is the missile first fired by a Predator RPA in 2001, when the aircraft’s name was changed from RQ-1 to MQ-1 to reflect the multimission role of the plane, according to airforcemag.com.