![mq-9 reaper mq-9 reaper](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Uf06cWjX04o/maxresdefault.jpg)
One thing we can say for sure though is that if a manned U.S. For the time being it is too early to come to any firm conclusions about what this means for drone operations in Syria or the bigger picture. (Courtesy photo) The Reaper is larger and more heavily-armed than the MQ-1 Predator and attacks time-sensitive targets with. The Reaper is launched, recovered and maintained at deployed locations, while being remotely operated by pilots and sensor operators at Creech Air Force Base, Nev. More details of the collision and crashes – or shootdown – should emerge in the next few days. An MQ-9 Reaper sits on a ramp in Afghanistan Oct. This safety concern is why military drones do not operate in shared airspace with civilian aircraft – and why Reaper makers General Atomics are testing a new version with sense-and-avoid systems. For a remote pilot, flying a Reaper is sometimes described as being like seeing the world through a drinking straw: the narrow field of view gives little situational awareness of what else is in the air, creating a risk of collisions. However, if the loss was simply an accident, it will raise another set of questions. At $19 million each (or even more, depending on how you calculate), this is not an expendable drone – hence the Air Force’s recent early termination of Reaper production in favor of a developing a lower-cost option. The MQ-9 Reaper Unmanned Aircraft System MQ-9 Reaper is a multi-mission Hunter-Killer and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance ISR system. If it was lost to enemy action, the event will raise further questions about the effectiveness of the Reaper against even lightly-armed opposition.