Death from Above: Meet the MQ-9 Reaper

Able to hunt down the enemy and deliver precision munitions on target night or day, the Reaper is a purpose designed aerial killing machine. It can fly for 14 hours carrying 3,800 pounds of payload, and reach heights of 50,000 feet. It is a true hunter-killer, even though its 2 man crew is hundreds, or even thousands of miles away. Welcome to War in the 21^st Century.

Popularly referred to as a "drone", this $10.5 million dollar aircraft is the culmination of over 60 years of tests. While the Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle has secured its place in our arsenal, its journey has been long and not always sure.

Aphrodite and Anvil

While there have been various experiments to remotely control an aircraft since WWI, it was not until WW2 that the first large steps were taken. The US Army's Aphrodite and Navy's Anvil programs are two of the better know programs.

Aphrodite aircraft were generally B-17 and PB4Y bombers that had all armament, armor, and any other gear not required by the Pilot and Co-Pilot removed. Into this stripped down plane a crude TV sensor and remote control apparatus would be installed, along with up to 20,000 pounds of TORPEX explosive with the destructive capability equal to 15 tons of TNT.

Once ready, a Pilot and Co-Pilot would control the Aphrodite drone from take off to an elevation of about 2,000 feet. Once the explosives were armed, the control of the aircraft was turned over to a pilot in another bomber, referred to as a "Mothership" flying near by. Once this had taken place, the two crewmen would bail out of the Aphrodite drone. Using a crude form of Television to monitor the gauges on the drone, and a radio controlled apparatus to manipulate the controls, the pilot in the Mothership would fly the plane to the target. Once the target was reached, the drone would be crashed into it, and theatrically destroy it.

The program was nearly a complete failure resulting in the deaths of several Allied Pilots including Lt. Joseph P Kennedy Jr., John Kennedy's older brother. The program did show that even a large aircraft could be flown some distance under remote control.

Through the 50's and 60's most drones were used for gunnery practice, and some reconnaissance drones flew over Vietnam and China. The electronic technology was steadily maturing, but it still did not offer reliable control over great distances.

Enter the CIA

In the early 1990's, the CIA became interested in Leading Systems Inc's unmanned drone "Amber", and secretly purchased 5 of them. Now known as "Gnat" , they were fitted with a quiet engine, and the Predator was born. In 1994 General Atomics Aeronautical Systems was awarded the contract to develop the Predator and after a successful showing at the Roving Sands 1995 exercise it was deployed to the Balkans in late 1995. By late 2000 there was a push by the CIA to arm Predators with Hellfire missiles. Testing commenced in early 2001 with the Predator able to score hits on stationary ground targets.

The Reaper Takes to the Skies

Anticipating the need for an armed UAV, General Atomics began development of the Predator B-003. This vehicle had a larger airframe than its namesake, and more powerful engine. The Predator B, as the USAF was calling it, had a payload of 3,000 pounds, fly at 52,000 feet, and stay airborne for 36 hours.

In 2002 the USAF took delivery of the first 2 Predator B's. In September 2007 the Reapers as they were now called, deployed into Iraq, and on October 28, 2007 scored its first "kill". Able to carry four Hellfire missiles and 2 Paveway II Laser-Guided Bombs, the Reaper is an efficient killer. Testing is underway to mount Sidewinder air-to-air missiles on the Reapers so they can engage hostile aircraft.

Currently the USAF has 28 MQ-9 Reapers.