General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) delivered an MQ-9A Reaper® Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) to the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC)—this new MQ-9A Block 5 Extended Range (ER) UAS was delivered on April 22, 2025, and will be operated by Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VMX-1), a USMC operational test squadron based at Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma, Arizona.
The new MQ-9A UAS will be used by the USMC to perform operational tests and evaluations, as well as create Marine Aviation tactics, techniques, and procedures through experimentation as the Marines fully implement MQ-9A as a critical part of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF).
The MQ-9A ER is designed with field-retrofittable capabilities, such as wing-borne fuel pods and reinforced landing gear, that extend the aircraft’s endurance to more than 30 hours while further increasing its operational flexibility. It provides long-endurance, persistent surveillance capabilities, with Full-Motion Video (FMV) and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)/Moving Target Indicator/Maritime Mode Radar.
An extremely reliable aircraft, MQ-9A ER is equipped with a fault-tolerant flight control system and a triple-redundant avionics system architecture. It is engineered to meet and exceed manned aircraft reliability standards.
To date, GA-ASI has delivered 18 MQ-9A UAS to USMC. The USMC awaits delivery of two additional aircraft by the end of this year.
The Marine Corps is building out its ISR capabilities with this new aircraft,” said GA-ASI President David R. Alexander. “We are excited to see what VMX-1 does in terms of operational test in preparation for pushing new capabilities into the field.”