PATUXENT RIVER, Md. –
The Marine Corps received its final MQ-9A Reaper Block 5 Extended Range (ER) Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS) from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) Gray Butte flight operations facility in California in June, marking the successful completion of a three-year acquisition campaign.
With 18 MQ-9As fielded to date, and two more on the way, this final delivery represents a major milestone for Marine Corps aviation and reflects the effective collaboration between industry partners and the Air Force.
“This program has been a model of how to do things right,” said Capt. Dennis Monagle, program manager for Multi-Mission Tactical UAS, whose office managed the acquisition effort. “We leveraged a strong relationship with industry and the Air Force to move quickly, stay on schedule and deliver advanced capability to the fleet with minimal friction. It’s been a very smooth process, proof that when the right teams align, we can move at the speed the Marines need.”
The program team continues to integrate advanced capabilities onto the platform, with the SkyTower II airborne network extension pod on track to achieve Initial Operating Capability (IOC) later this year. The system expands the Corps’ long-range mission in support of Force Design 2030 priorities and distributed maritime operations.
The MQ-9A is a multi-role, medium-altitude, long-endurance UAS designed to support a variety of missions, including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), and maritime domain awareness. The Marine Corps’ adaptation of the system represents a leap in expeditionary capability, enabling operations across contested and distributed environments.
The program office oversees the MQ-9 Marine Air-Ground Task Force UAS, Expeditionary Family of Systems, and is also responsible for emerging group 4 and 5 vertical lift platforms.
From the Multi-Mission Tactical UAS Program Office. 