US Air Force Approves Major Upgrade Package for New MQ-9 Reapers Written 22 April 2021

Aviation Week reports that a “major upgrade package has been approved for the next batch of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) MQ-9 Reapers that will be ordered later this month by the U.S. Air Force.” Inside Defense reports that in a press release issued Wednesday, the Air Force said that the “MQ-9 multidomain operations (M2DO) variant will include a new anti-jamming capability, an enhanced electro-optical/infrared sensor and expanded capacity to carry more types of weapons.” The new MQ-9 variant “will also have increased electronic power and an open architecture design, allowing the service to rapidly integrate new technologies as combatant commanders identify emerging threats.” Wednesday’s “release does not specify how many new MQ-9s the Air Force will buy under the contract with General Atomics this month. It also does not disclose whether the service intends to use the deal to purchase more aircraft in future fiscal years or hint at its fiscal year 2022 budget plans for the acquisition program.”
Full Story (Aviation Week; More Info (Inside Defense)