7/28/2023 0 Comments Mq 9 reaper![]() If the Air Force wants to replace Reapers on a 1:1 basis, the replacement will have to be cheap enough to be purchased in large quantities. The Reaper costs $64 million each, versus $95 million for a F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Stealthy aircraft get expensive very quickly, and one great advantage of drones over manned aircraft is that they are cheaper. The key for the new drone is affordability. One benefit of the flying wing is a large fuselage for stowing fuel and weapons-a stealthy aircraft must conceal everything within the shape of the aircraft. A flying wing design, like the B-2 and B-21 bombers, is possible. What will replace the Reaper? A replacement will likely be stealthy, to keep it off radars and minimize it as a target against radar-guided missiles. The Air Force will lay out its vision of a replacement, one that can operate in contested airspace, in the 2022 budget. Realizing the Reaper's vulnerability, Air Force is cutting its buy of Reaper drones to 337, according to, with the final 21 drones purchased this year. ![]() The Pentagon is shifting from smaller, low-end fights in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere towards larger, higher-end brawls potentially with countries such as Russia and China. Play icon The triangle icon that indicates to play If an enemy missile launches against a Reaper, there’s little the remote pilot can do about it-if he or she even notices the launch. In particular the insect-looking Reaper lacks stealth, with sensor pods and weapons hanging off wingtips producing a large radar signature. The Reaper lacks the equipment modern warplanes have to keep them alive over the battlefield, including missile warning systems and anti-missile chaff and flares. In addition to the Air Force, the CIA operates a small number of Reapers reportedly involved in using the " Flying Ginsu" Hellfire R9X missile.īut in contested airspace, it’s a different story. The MQ-9 Reaper is a more recent and larger variant of the MQ-1 Predator drone, which was utilized by the U.S. The Reaper is the largest known armed drone in the Pentagon’s inventory. In uncontested airspace the Reaper can linger for hours, waiting for the right moment to unleash a Hellfire missile or laser-guided bomb. Bigger, faster, more heavily armed than the original Predator drone, the Reaper has excelled in flying missions over places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Somalia. The MQ-9 Reaper drone was first introduced in 2007. Although highly successful at what it does, the MQ-9 Reaper is easily shot down and would not survive over a battlefield protected by modern air defenses. Air Force wants to replace the service’s fleet of Reaper attack drones with something new capable of surviving in hostile airspace. The Reaper’s replacement will likely be a more stealthy, survivable drone capable of evading missile defenses.shifts to preparing for high-end fights against major adversaries, the Reaper is coming up short. ![]()
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