The Reaper model MQ-9 drone, like the one that was struck by a Russian fighter on Tuesday over the Black Sea in international airspace, is one of the most advanced unmanned aircraft the US Air Force has.
This aircraft can reach 230 miles per hour and owes its name,
Reaper
, precisely to its lethal power.
In English, the phrase
Grim Reaper
means the Grim Reaper, or death.
The device is 11 meters long, 20 meters wide (distance between the wings), and almost four meters high, and
is capable of transporting up to two tons.
A US Air Force ReaperMQ-9 drone parked in Sigonella, Italy.
Getty Images
The MQ-9 became operational in 2007 and is larger than the MQ-1 Predator, its predecessor.
The US has more than 300 such aircraft, according to official data for 2021.
“Unique ability for attacks”
According to the Air Force page, the MQ-9 is "used mostly for information gathering and secondarily for dynamic target execution."
"It consists of wide-range sensors, multi-mode communications suite, and precision weapons, providing a unique ability to conduct strikes, coordination, and reconnaissance against high-value targets," according to the agency.
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Specifically, it has
an infrared sensor, several television cameras, a laser illuminator,
and its video system allows captures from "each of the image sensors to be viewed as separate or merged video sequences."
Can carry multiple missiles
The plane had remained out of the public sphere until a 2019 air show in Las Vegas, where, according to the specialized website The Aviationist, its silent flight "gave a chill" to the spectators.
The aircraft can carry up to four
laser-guided
Air-to-Ground Hellfire missiles , which provide “highly accurate collateral, anti-armor, and personnel damage capabilities.”
In January 2020, it was an MQ-9 drone that the US used to kill Iranian military general Qasem Soleimani near the Baghdad airport, Iraq.
The drone attack on Soleimani was recorded on video by a security camera.