{"id":"363e1892-0df2-4d0e-aae9-fd19e835d78f","companyId":"33d9f53e-a5ca-4263-bb2c-2d1650575da3","modelName":"MQ-9 Reaper","slug":"ga-mq-9-reaper","description":"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.","formFactor":"aerial","maturityStage":"production","lifecycleState":"active","supersededByModelId":null,"specs":{"notes":[{"label":"Verified (legacy prime contrast)","value":"General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI; private, San Diego/Poway CA) is the incumbent MALE remotely-piloted-aircraft prime (Predator lineage). MQ-9A: 575 built as of 2026; USAF ~158 active + 24 ANG (end FY2025); operators incl. UK, Italy, France, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium. USMC received its final MQ-9A Block 5 ER Jun 2025. The canonical legacy contrast to the AI-first new-defense wave (Anduril/Helsing/Shield AI)."},{"label":"AI-substance: REMOTELY-PILOTED, NOT autonomous (honest)","value":"Humans retain flight control and ALL weapons-employment decisions. Auto takeoff/landing + threat detection/tracking are assistance features, not autonomy. The newer Quadratix software (Mar 2025) adds AI/ML/autonomy/data-fusion for single-operator multi-sensor ISR on MQ-9B - AI-ASSISTED ISR, not an autonomous kill chain. Do not let 'drone' imply AI-autonomy here."},{"label":"Lifecycle nuance","value":"The MQ-9A production line CLOSED in 2025 after USAF confirmed no further buys (GA-ASI: fewer than 10 MQ-9As left to sell); MQ-9B is the active in-production successor (UK Protector, Taiwan SkyGuardian due 2026, Germany SeaGuardian buy reported Jan 2026). One Company record spans a mature-but-sunsetting platform + its in-production replacement. lifecycleState=active."},{"label":"Claimed but NOT verified","value":"Exact GA-ASI revenue/headcount/ownership %; MQ-9B AEW&C + long-range standoff-munition (JASSM/LRASM/JSM) integration (announced/planned 2026, not yet demonstrated); Taiwan/Germany MQ-9B deliveries (contracted, pending 2026)."}],"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)"},"manufacturerSerial":null,"reviewStatus":"reviewed","sources":[{"url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Atomics_MQ-9_Reaper","title":"General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (575 built; remotely-piloted MALE; in service 2007)","sourceName":"Wikipedia"},{"url":"https://www.airandspaceforces.com/abrupt-end-to-mq-9-production-surprises-general-atomics/","title":"Abrupt end to MQ-9A production surprises General Atomics (line closed 2025)","sourceName":"Air & Space Forces Magazine"},{"url":"https://www.ga-asi.com/remotely-piloted-aircraft/mq-9b-skyguardian","title":"GA-ASI MQ-9B SkyGuardian (40+ hr; UK Protector RG Mk1)","sourceName":"GA-ASI (official)"},{"url":"https://www.defenseadvancement.com/feature/quadratix-unified-software-ecosystem-from-general-atomics/","title":"GA-ASI Quadratix software (AI/ML/autonomy for MQ-9B ISR; still operator-controlled)","sourceName":"Defense Advancement"}],"aliases":["MQ-9 Reaper","MQ-9B SkyGuardian","MQ-9B SeaGuardian","Protector RG Mk1"],"collisionRisk":"low","reviewNote":null,"manufacturerTermForTeleop":null,"createdAt":"2026-06-03T20:35:13.772Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-03T20:35:13.772Z","jsonLd":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Product","@id":"https://registry.deploy.report/models/ga-mq-9-reaper","url":"https://registry.deploy.report/models/ga-mq-9-reaper","name":"MQ-9 Reaper","alternateName":["MQ-9 Reaper","MQ-9B SkyGuardian","MQ-9B SeaGuardian","Protector RG Mk1"],"description":"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.","identifier":"363e1892-0df2-4d0e-aae9-fd19e835d78f","category":"aerial","publisher":{"@id":"https://deploy.report/#organization"}}}