Air Force Buys 30 More Reapers

Aug. 17, 2016 | By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force recently awarded General Atomics a $371 million contract for 30 more MQ-9 Reapers. The sole-source contract calls for production of the aircraft in its 2015 production configuration, with delivery expected to be completed by 2019. The contract comes as the Air Force is working to build up its remotely piloted aircraft fleet, including new operating locations. Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said last ?week the service will release a list of candidate bases for two new RPA operating bases—one wing and a operations group—this fall. The Air Force plans to procure 75 more MQ-9s as a way to address overworked manpower and capacity issues. (See Also: Don’t Fear the Reaper from the February 2016 issue of Air Force Magazine.)

Related Content

Space Force’s No. 2 Officer Tests Positive for COVID-19

Oct. 28, 2020
Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. David D. Thompson tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 28, the Department of the Air Force announced that evening. “He took the test today after learning that a close family member, with whom he had contact, tested positive for the virus,” the email states.…

Brown: USAF’s Too Focused on Chinese Assets, Not Enough on Intent

Oct. 28, 2020
The Air Force has an inadequate understanding of China as a potential adversary, service Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. warned Oct. 28. Brown, speaking during a Hoover Institution virtual event, said that while the National Defense Strategy outlines China as a key potential adversary, the USAF is…

Hill Airman Makes USAF History in the F-35A

Oct. 28, 2020
Lt. Col. Jared “Vic” Santos, 388th Fighter Wing special projects manager, recently became the first USAF Airman to accrue 1,000 flying hours in the F-35A Lightning II fighter jet, the wing announced. Santos hit the milestone during an approximately two-hour, “four-on-six tactical intercept” training sortie Oct. 22 over the Utah…

Lakenheath F-15Es Return From Middle East Combat Deployment

Oct. 28, 2020
F-15Es and Airmen from RAF Lakenheath, U.K., returned home after a six-month deployment to the Middle East where the “Bolars” flew more than 8,500 hours supporting combat operations in the region. The 492nd Fighter Squadron, supported by the 492nd Aircraft Maintenance Unit and the 48th Operational Support Squadron, deployed in…

Boeing Reports $67M KC-46 Charge, But Expects Tanker Program to Turn Around

Oct. 28, 2020
Boeing will pay another $67 million out of pocket for the KC-46 program, a cost attributed to COVID-19-related cost overruns and productivity deficiencies, though company leaders say the tanker won't be a “drag” on the company’s bottom line much longer. In a third quarter earnings call with investors, Boeing disclosed…

Giving Airmen the Edge: The Promise of JADC2

Oct. 28, 2020
U.S. military information dominance has for decades been a tool to maintain dominance in air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace. Better intelligence means better situational awareness. By collecting more accurate, timely data, and more rapidly delivering it to those who need it most, U.S. forces can out-think and out-fight adversaries.…

Wilsbach on Key Takeaway from Pacific ABMS Onramp

Oct. 27, 2020
Real-time, highly-detailed airfield status around the Pacific theater was one of the standout features of the Valiant Shield/Advanced Battle Management experiment run in September, Pacific Air Forces chief Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach reported at an AFA Mitchell Institute streaming event Oct. 27. It's the single feature he would most want…

Wilsbach to Allies: Learn from USAF’s Mistakes, Fly Your F-35 Like an F-35

Oct. 27, 2020
As allies in the Pacific start receiving and operating their own F-35s, Pacific Air Forces Commander Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach is advising them to take full advantage of the jets' fifth-generation capabilities right from the beginning. They should not follow USAF's example, he said, in which the Air Force used…