# MQ-9 Reaper: robot model

Canonical ID: `363e1892-0df2-4d0e-aae9-fd19e835d78f`

- **Slug:** ga-mq-9-reaper
- **Form factor:** aerial
- **Maturity stage:** production
- **Lifecycle:** active
- **Deployments registered:** 0

## Specs

- **notes:** [object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
- **specs:** MQ-9A Reaper: MALE remotely-piloted aircraft, first flight Feb 2 2001, in service May 2007; crew = pilot + sensor operator + mission intel coordinator at a ground control station; ~30 hr ISR / ~23 hr armed endurance, 3,800 lb payload, AGM-114 Hellfire + GBU-12/38. MQ-9B SkyGuardian/SeaGuardian: 40+ hr, civil-airspace integration; UK operates as Protector RG Mk1.
- **formFactor:** aerial (medium-altitude long-endurance REMOTELY-PILOTED aircraft; hunter-killer ISR/strike)

## Deployments

_No deployments registered for this model._

## Supply chain

_No verified supply relationships on file. Supply-chain coverage is being added across the registry; check back as the seed populates this model's suppliers._

_Suppliers appear when verified with at least two strong sources. Sources are append-only; corrections add new sources rather than rewrite history._

## Common questions

### What is MQ-9 Reaper?

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, the privately held San Diego incumbent behind the Predator lineage, makes the MQ-9 Reaper, the canonical legacy medium-altitude long-endurance remotely-piloted aircraft against which the AI-first new-defense wave is contrasted. The MQ-9A first flew on February 2, 2001 and entered service in May 2007; it is flown by a crew of a pilot, a sensor operator, and a mission-intelligence coordinator at a ground control station, with roughly thirty hours of ISR endurance, a 3,800-pound payload, and Hellfire missiles and laser- and GPS-guided bombs. As of 2026 some 575 have been built, with the US Air Force operating about 158 active plus 24 Air National Guard aircraft at the end of fiscal 2025 and the Marine Corps receiving its final MQ-9A in June 2025, alongside operators including the UK, Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Critically and honestly, the Reaper is remotely piloted, not autonomous: humans retain flight control and all weapons decisions, with automatic takeoff, landing, and threat-tracking as assistance features, and the newer Quadratix software introduced in March 2025 adds AI and autonomy for single-operator multi-sensor ISR on the MQ-9B but remains operator-controlled rather than an autonomous kill chain, so the word drone should not imply AI-autonomy here. A lifecycle nuance worth recording: the MQ-9A production line closed in 2025 after the Air Force declined further buys, while the longer-endurance MQ-9B SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian, operated by the UK as Protector RG Mk1 and contracted to Taiwan and Germany, are the active in-production successor, so this single record spans a mature, sunsetting platform and its in-production replacement.

### Who makes MQ-9 Reaper?

MQ-9 Reaper is made by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, based in San Diego, California, USA, founded in 1993.

### Where is MQ-9 Reaper deployed?

No verified deployments of MQ-9 Reaper are currently on the DEPLOY registry. DEPLOY records deployments only when verified at a named site with a primary source; absence may reflect pre-deployment, research, or manufacturer-internal use.

### What is MQ-9 Reaper's maturity stage?

MQ-9 Reaper is at the production stage on the DEPLOY maturity ladder (research, prototype, pilot, commercial, production). Production stage means high-volume manufacture and commercial-scale deployments are sustained.


## Sources (4)

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Atomics_MQ-9_Reaper
2. https://www.airandspaceforces.com/abrupt-end-to-mq-9-production-surprises-general-atomics/
3. https://www.ga-asi.com/remotely-piloted-aircraft/mq-9b-skyguardian
4. https://www.defenseadvancement.com/feature/quadratix-unified-software-ecosystem-from-general-atomics/

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