Page 6 - Desert Lightning News, Nellis-Creech AFB Edition, April 30, 2021

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Reaper mods targeted to provide capability for near peer threats

The Air Force Life Cycle Management completing initial fleet retrofits that will
Center’s MQ-9 Program Office is mov- mitigate potential jamming to the plat-
ing forward with several fleet enhance- form. This is the first retrofit of many, as
ment capabilities aimed at increasing MQ-9 M2DO configured aircraft will re-
MQ-9s effectiveness against near-peer ceive additional closely-held capabilities
adversary threats. that will enable Command and Control
The MQ-9 is an unmanned air- mission assurance and resiliency while
craft with intelligence, surveillance, the aircraft is airborne.
reconnaissance, and strike capability, Additionally, the MQ-9 team will
traditionally used for Counter-Violent increase the electronic power for the
Extremist Organization combat opera- platform. This increase, coupled with
tions. That mission is now shifting. concurrent development efforts to create
The MQ-9 is demonstrating that it is an open architecture design for the plat-
still a relevant platform as it supports form, will allow the Air Force to rapidly
new missions in United States European integrate new capabilities in response to
Command (EUCOM) and is now set to emerging threats identified by Combat-
receive a suite of upgrades to allow the ant Commanders.
platform to offer a host of new capa- Additional M2DO enhancements also
bilities for Combatant Commanders and Courtesy photograph include upgrades to the electro-optical/
warfighters around the world. MQ-9 Reaper infra-red sensor and will expand the
The Air Force will award the first types of weapons the platform will be
delivery order of planned MQ-9 Multi- fleet numbers to meet future warfighter Lt. Col. Nick Jordan, Materiel Leader able to carry.
Domain Operation aircraft – which requirements through the service life of for MQ-9 Production and Retrofit. “The The Air Force projects that with these
will include several new upgrades from the aircraft. user has directed us to add technology smart investments that the MQ-9 will
previous production builds – to General “Working with Air Combat Com- into the platform which signals that the remain operationally viable for world-
Atomics Aeronautical Systems in April mand and other stakeholders, the MQ-9 MQ-9 can offer more capability than just wide operations through the end of the
2021. The Air Force is also retrofitting a enterprise will add new capabilities to C-VEO operations over the next ten to platforms projected service life of 2035.
portion of the already fielded MQ-9 fleet the platform to help ensure the MQ-9 fifteen years. It can remain relevant with In conjunction, the Air Force will con-
to the same M2DO configuration, al- is able to support these missions in the these added and upgraded technologies.” tinue to evaluate options to find a more
lowing the Air Force to leverage current threat environment we envision,” said The MQ-9 Program Office is already viable solution in the future.

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