A drone operated by US forces killed Iran’s top security and intelligence commander, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, early Friday at Baghdad International Airport in a strike authorized by President Trump.

Here’s a look at the deadly capabilities of the United States’ MQ-9 Reaper drone.





https://nypost.com/2020/01/03/a-look-at-the-deadly-capabilities-of-the-mq-9-reaper-drone-that-took-out-gen-qassem-soleimani/

Role: Unmanned combat aerial vehicle

National origin: United States

Manufacturer: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems

First test flight: 2 February 2001; 18 years ago

Introduction/Available: 1 May 2007

Status: In service

Primary users: United States Air Force, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Royal Air Force, Italian Air Force

Number built: 163 as of 2014

Program cost: US$11.8 billion

Unit cost: US$15.9 million (flyaway cost, 2019).

The Flyaway cost is one measure of the cost of an aircraft. It values the aircraft at its marginal cost, including only the cost of production and production tools essential for building a single unit. It excludes sunk costs such as research and development, supplementary costs such as support equipment, and future costs such as spares, parts, and maintenance.




The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (sometimes called Predator B) is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) primarily for the United States Air Force (USAF).

The MQ-9 and other UAVs are referred to as Remotely Piloted Vehicles/Aircraft (RPV/RPA) by the USAF to indicate their human ground controllers.

The MQ-9 is the first hunter-killer UAV designed for long-endurance, high-altitude surveillance.

The MQ-9 is a larger, heavier, and more capable aircraft than the earlier General Atomics MQ-1 Predator.

It can be controlled by the same ground systems used to control MQ-1s.

The Reaper has a 950-shaft-horsepower (712 kW) turboprop.

The greater power allows the Reaper to carry 15 times more ordnance payload and cruise at about three times the speed of the MQ-1.

The aircraft is monitored and controlled by aircrew in the Ground Control Station (GCS), including weapons employment.


Wiki.

With a range of 1,150 miles and the ability to fly at altitudes of 50,000 feet, the MQ-9 Reaper system is an “armed, multi-mission, medium-altitude, long-endurance” remotely piloted aircraft designed primarily for offensive strikes, according to the US Air Force.

“Given its significant loiter time, wide-range sensors, multi-mode communications suite, and precision weapons it provides a unique capability to perform strike, coordination and reconnaissance against high-value, fleeting, and time-sensitive targets,” a fact sheet reads.

The 4,900pound (2,200kg) drone can also conduct surveillance, assist in search and rescue missions and allow US forces to “conduct irregular warfare operations,” according to the Air Force, which proposed the system in hopes of ramping up military operations overseas.

You can’t help but to admire America.

Using 5.8Billion Naira equipment to eliminate a human head that’s not up to N10,000 in Ogbomoso.

The Reaper, which became operational in 2007, has a wingspan of 66 feet and a cruising speed of roughly 230 mph.

As of September 2015, the Air Force had 93 MQ-9 Reaper drones in its arsenal.

It’s operated remotely by a pilot and a sensor operator.

Ground station control.

This drone is more of a general than that scum bag serial killer

The aircraft is larger and more robust than its predecessor, the MQ-1 Predator, and is capable of annihilating targets with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles or other munitions.


A close up look at the Reaper's firepower.

The AGM-114 Hellfire Missile cost USD117,000 (‎₦42.5million) per unit.

The Explorer exploring the Drone. Well done sir! More Data to your Phone!

Damn!!

This is some hellraiser!!!


Thinking what that 5.8 billion naira go do for my life now...

Any move to stop all terrorist is welcomed.

Wow...what a masterpiece.
I pray it does not get into the wrong hands.

Wonderful, twoderful, this is game over. No fight but fight has finished.

One of this will end bokoharam in Nigeria

When will Nigeria army use one of this

ONE day my country will wake up.
Enough of this corruption and greed,
Why can't we think about our tomorrow instead of our pockets.
The same Oil that we have that is what other countries are using to develop their lands eg UAE
Where did we go wrong
9ja Wake up
Africa wake up

The cost of a single unit of that drone is far more than the annual budget of the Nigerian military.

KingAzubuike:
The cost of a single unit of that drone is far more than the annual budget of the Nigerian military.

We know the country is failed but easy with the lies.

The Nigerian government should acquire this to stem the tide of insecurity in Nigeria especially towards Boko Haram and by extension reduce unforeseen casualties.

Eife:
When will Nigeria army use one of this

Can we even afford it

How can you keep on spending hundreds of billions of dollars in defense military hardwares every year and not look for opportunities to test those hardwares? US is world's number one threat to world peace, opposite of what they'll want you to believe.

Auladimeji:
Honestly, there are many Nigerians(Tinubu, Dangote,IBB,OBJ etc) that can afford this let alone Nigeria as a country

Nigeria is wealthy, forget all the way media present Nigeria as a poor country

How much is NA renovation alone

hmmm, I hear you.

Auladimeji:
If PMB purchase it now,it's people like you that will still condemn him

Why would I condemn something I know will help us win the fight against insecurity.
Even if the Nigerian government can afford it, some corrupt individuals won't let it work.
I want the best for my country oga. Don't just assume you know others thought because of one simple comment

;DSomebody just use remote kill a whole general in his home soil.
And someone was telling me that we have security
The Us can kill all the service chief in Nigeria

Interesting... When people feel intimated and pushed to the wall by a way stronger opponent they act crazy and desperate.

What if Iran hits times square New York with a poisonious gas attack in rush hour? Then US go vex go nuclear on them.. then Russia go wan show themselves too... Other world powers go follow suit! That means WW3 don start be that. Nuclear warheads flying everywhere... Total end of civilization.

The surviving ones will all go back to stone age, Hunting bulls and gathering fruits to survive. Who knows? Maybe evolution will get tired and start revolving us back to Apes again.

What a circle of life...

fast and furious 7

Nice aviation tech you've got there.

The USA learned a great lesson during WW2...... That whosoever controls the skies will always win the war. And they've not let up ever since.