MQ-9 reaper fiscal year 22 aircraft production order

This defense contract awarded $77.4 million for MQ-9 Reaper aircraft production during Fiscal Year 2022. The MQ-9 Reaper is a medium-altitude, long-endurance remotely piloted aircraft with a 66-foot wingspan designed for armed reconnaissance and precision strike missions. The contract funds the manufacture of Reaper aircraft equipped with advanced targeting systems including infrared sensors, synthetic aperture radar, and laser designators. The Reaper can carry up to 3,800 pounds of payload, including AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bombs, and GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions. At a unit cost of $56.5 million per aircraft (including four aircraft with sensors and ground control stations), this $77.4 million contract would fund approximately one complete Reaper system. The aircraft is employed primarily for dynamic target execution, intelligence collection, surveillance and reconnaissance, and close air support operations.