An MQ-9 Reaper (Predator B ) takes off from Wheeler Sack Army Airfield (WSAAF) at Fort Drum, New York on 05 April 2012. The MQ-9 is from the 174th Fighter Wing which launches and recovers its aircraft at WSAAF. Video by Tech. Sgt. Ricky Best | 174th Attack Wing | Date: 04.05.2012
The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (formerly called Predator B) is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), capable of remote controlled or autonomous flight operations, developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) for use by the United States Air Force, the United States Navy, the CIA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Royal Air Force, and the Italian Air Force. The MQ-9 and other UAVs are referred to as Remotely Piloted Vehicles/Aircraft (RPV/RPA) by the U.S. Air Force to indicate their human ground controllers. The MQ-9 is the first hunter-killer UAV designed for long-endurance, high-altitude surveillance.