U.S. Marine Corps Receives Final MQ-9A Reaper Extended Range Drone

The U.S. Marine Corps has taken delivery of its final MQ-9A Reaper Block 5 Extended Range (ER) uncrewed aircraft system (UAS), concluding a three-year procurement program led by the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI).

The final handover occurred at GA-ASI’s Gray Butte flight operations facility in California. With 18 MQ-9As fielded previously, the arrival of two additional units completes the Marine Corps’ initial acquisition campaign.

The MQ-9A Reaper ER is a medium-altitude, long-endurance platform designed for multi-role missions such as intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), and maritime domain awareness. Its extended range and modular payload options enable persistent operations in contested or distributed environments.

Marine Corps leadership emphasized the platform’s importance in supporting Force Design 2030 and distributed maritime operations.

The MQ-9A is being integrated with SkyTower II, an airborne network extension pod, expected to reach Initial Operational Capability (IOC) later this year. The upgrade will provide enhanced airborne networking capability across vast operational areas, bolstering long-range missions.