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Air Force

USAF Looks to Improve MQ-9 Effectiveness Against China, Russia

Frank Wolfe Frank Wolfe
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USAF Looks to Improve MQ-9 Effectiveness Against China, Russia
A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper assigned to the 556th Test and Evaluation Squadron armed with an AIM-9X missile sits on the ramp on September 3, 2020 ahead of the Advanced Battle Manaagement System (ABMS) Onramp 2. In the test, the MQ-9 fired an air-to-air AIM-9X Block 2 missile against a target BQM-167 drone simulating a cruise missile. (U.S. Air Force Photo)

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s MQ-9 program office at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio said on Apr. 20 that it is upgrading the General Atomics drone to counter near-peer adversaries--Pentagon-speak for China and Russia. While U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has relied upon the MQ-9 Reaper as a strike and intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance (ISR) platform against extremist organizations, "that mission is now shifting," AFLCMC said. As such, AFLCMC this month plans to award General Atomics the first delivery order for…

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