The MQ-9 Reaper has served the U.S. admirably, and its run hasn’t ended yet. But already its successor has been introduced, in two distinct forms.
The U.S. Air Force introduced the MQ-9 Reaper drone in 2007 as a larger weapons platform than its predecessor, the MQ-1 Predator drone. The Reaper looks very much like the Predator, only larger and capable of carrying a variety of weapons. These include the AGM-114 Hellfire II and GBU-12, 500-pound laser-guided bombs. The Reaper also boasts an exceptionally long endurance of 34 hours, so it’s proven a fantastic uncrewed aerial system for nearly two decades.
Still, the Air Force is retiring the MQ-9 Reaper drone as it’s approaching the end of its service life. It will continue to operate until 2035, so it’s not leaving just yet. But the Air Force is transitioning to the Reaper’s successor, though it isn’t looking too far from the proven platform. The next phase in the Reaper’s life cycle involves the MQ-9B SkyGuardian and MQ-9B SeaGuardian, both of them next-generation variants of the Reaper introduced in 2020.
These new platforms include impressive upgrades to their predecessor, and as their names imply, they’re tailored to specific mission sets in the air and in support of seaborne operations. On top of their general improvements, new steps are being taken to enable them to hunt submarines, launch different types of weapons, and function as carriers to deploy their own smaller drones. Because drone warfare is proving to be the future of armed conflict, these upgrades to the MQ-9 platform will take it well into the future of semi-autonomous military operations.
