DEPLOYDatabase

Deployment

MQ-9 Reaper at United States Air Force (global operations)

The MQ-9 Reaper (Predator B) is a medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) for the U.S. Air Force and allied nations. With over 27 hours endurance, speeds of 240 KTAS, operating altitude up to 50,000 feet, and a 3,850 lb payload capacity, the MQ-9 is the first hunter-killer UAV designed for long-endurance surveillance and strike missions. 575 units built as of 2026.

MQ-9 Reaper by General Atomics · Unverified

Recent coverage

See all coverage →


Machine-readable surfaces

The MQ-9 Reaper has been in continuous service with the U.S. Air Force since 2007, operating from bases including Creech AFB (Nevada), Whiteman AFB (Missouri), and forward-deployed locations across EUCOM, CENTCOM, and INDOPACOM areas of responsibility. 575 units built as of 2026.

Key facts

Operator
U.S. Air Force
Primary users
USAF, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Italian Air Force, Royal Air Force (UK)

Safety record

No incidents on record for MQ-9 Reaper at United States Air Force (global operations).

Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.

Trust tier
Unverifiedhow tiers work →
Last updated
2026-07-14
Status
operational
First seen
2007-05-01
ID
746bf592-d711-4a5e-8610-28871571369c

Timeline

  1. May 2007
    First recorded
    MQ-9 Reaper first documented operating at United States Air Force (global operations).
  2. Jul 2026
    Current status: operational
    Latest recorded state. New status transitions append here as the deployment-status recorder produces them.

On the deployment map

MQ-9 Reaper operates in United States Air Force (global operations). Explore the full verified map:

Sources (1)

  1. General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper · https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Atomics_MQ-9_Reaper · 2026-01-01
Methodology: Unreviewed · 1 source (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-14

Verification posture

Unreviewed

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-07-14

Maturity + lifecycle

Maturity stage: production

Lifecycle: superseded

Architectural position

Cohort: aerial

Sources by quality tier

1
knowledge-base
Knowledge base

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for MQ-9 Reaper at United States Air Force (global operations).

Common questions

What is the MQ-9 Reaper deployment at United States Air Force (global operations)?
MQ-9 Reaper, built by General Atomics, is recorded as a deployment at United States Air Force (global operations) on the DEPLOY registry. General Atomics operates the deployment directly.
Who operates MQ-9 Reaper at United States Air Force (global operations)?
General Atomics, the manufacturer of MQ-9 Reaper, operates this deployment directly. This is a maker-deploys-its-own-product arrangement rather than a customer pilot.
When did the MQ-9 Reaper deployment at United States Air Force (global operations) go live?
The deployment is recorded as starting May 1, 2007 on the DEPLOY registry. Earlier activity may exist but is not yet sourced.
Have there been incidents at the MQ-9 Reaper deployment at United States Air Force (global operations)?
No active incidents affecting this deployment are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Absence of recorded incidents is not a guarantee no incident occurred; DEPLOY records only sourced incidents and suppresses retracted ones.

Deploy Watch

Track this deployment.

We notify you when status changes against primary-source evidence, contract events surface, or a related incident is filed.