Aerosense Revolutionizes Disaster Response With Long-Range Rescue Drone
AeroSense has unveiled the AS-H1, a cutting-edge VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) drone designed …
15. August 2025
Navair Achieves Major Milestone In Reaper Drone Development With First Flight Of Advanced Mq-9A
The U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has announced a significant milestone in the development of the MQ-9 Reaper, a remotely piloted aircraft designed for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. The first flight of an MQ-9A Reaper, equipped with the SkyTower II and RDESS/SOAR pods, marks a crucial step towards achieving Initial Operational Capability (IOC) later this year.
The SkyTower II pod is an airborne network-extension pod developed by GALT, designed to significantly enhance cross-domain communications and data sharing across disparate forces. This advanced system is expected to deliver its initial operational capability soon, enabling the MQ-9 Reaper to act as a vital airborne “digital quarterback” in support of U.S. Marine Corps operations in the Indo-Pacific region.
The SkyTower II pod’s capabilities are critical in providing tactically relevant operational communications and data sharing with various forces, making it an essential component of the MQ-9 Reaper’s mission. This system is designed to enable the aircraft to serve as a vital ISR and communications relay platform, particularly important for U.S. Marine Corps operations in the vast and contested environment of the Indo-Pacific.
In February 2025, UX-24 loaded the new SkyTower II pod onto the aircraft for the first time, conducting initial power on checks. This marked an important milestone in the integration of the new capability into the aircraft platform. Over the next several months, UX-24 was scheduled to conduct final test events before delivering the upgraded MQ-9s to the fleet.
The Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron (VMU) 3, based at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, will be the first to deploy with this new system on its MQ-9s in 2026. VMU-3 has a pivotal role in advancing Marine Corps capabilities in reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition missions across the Indo-Pacific region.
The RDESS/SOAR (Reaper Defense Electronic Support System/Scalable Open Architecture Reconnaissance) pod is not new to the Reaper, as it has already been spotted on VMU-3’s MQ-9s. Developed by General Atomics and L3Harris, this system is a broad-spectrum, passive Electronic Support Measure (ESM) payload designed to collect and geo-locate signals of interest from standoff ranges.
The RDESS/SOAR pod has the ability to make the MQ-9 “mostly undetectable,” according to General Eric M. Smith, the Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps. This system allows the Reaper to conduct electronic sensing and communicate actionable intelligence, making it a critical component of the aircraft’s mission.
The MQ-9 Reaper plays a vital role in the U.S. Marine Corps’ strategy for expeditionary operations in maritime environments. As part of the 2022 Marine Corps Aviation Plan, the Marines plan to use MQ-9As “with a suite of add-on pods to support the Marine Littoral Regiment as the stand-in force.” The aircraft will provide Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Targeting (ISR-T) as well as performing additional missions such as Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), Airborne Network Extension (ANE), Airborne Early Warning (AEW), and Electronic Support (ES).
The MQ-9 Reaper’s extended range capability is a significant advantage in the vast Pacific environment. With an endurance of over 30 hours, this allows the aircraft to cover long distances and provide persistent surveillance, making it an essential component of the Marine Corps’ strategy for expeditionary operations.
NAVAIR notes that the “MQ-9 Reaper provides Marines with a long-range ISR capability in support of maritime domain awareness and expeditionary advanced base operations in contested environments.” The U.S. Marine Corps announced that the MQ-9A Reaper reached IOC with VMU-3 on August 2, 2023.
The success of the SkyTower II and RDESS/SOAR pods will be crucial in enhancing the capabilities of the MQ-9 Reaper and supporting the U.S. Marine Corps’ strategic objectives. The integration of these advanced systems on the MQ-9 Reaper represents a significant step forward in the development of the U.S. Marine Corps’ISR capabilities.
The use of the MQ-9 Reaper with SkyTower II and RDESS/SOAR pods marks an exciting development in the ongoing evolution of the U.S. Marine Corps’ISR capabilities. The integration of these advanced systems on the MQ-9 Reaper demonstrates the U.S. Marine Corps’ commitment to investing in advanced technologies and expanding its operational reach.
As the U.S. Marine Corps continues to evolve its operational plans, it is clear that SkyTower II and RDESS/SOAR pods will play a vital role in supporting its mission. The integration of these advanced systems on the MQ-9 Reaper represents a significant step forward in the ongoing development of the U.S. Marine Corps’ISR capabilities.
The use of the MQ-9 Reaper with SkyTower II and RDESS/SOAR pods marks an exciting development in the ongoing evolution of the U.S. Marine Corps’ISR capabilities, with its advanced network-extension and electronic support capabilities poised to provide a critical advantage in support of the service’s mission.
The integration of these advanced systems on the MQ-9 Reaper demonstrates the U.S. Marine Corps’ commitment to investing in advanced technologies and expanding its operational reach. As the service continues to invest in advanced ISR capabilities, it is clear that these systems will play a vital role in supporting its strategic objectives.
As the U.S. Marine Corps continues to evolve its operational plans, it is clear that SkyTower II and RDESS/SOAR pods will play a vital role in supporting its mission, marking an exciting development in the ongoing evolution of the U.S. Marine Corps’ISR capabilities.
The integration of these advanced systems on the MQ-9 Reaper represents a significant step forward in the ongoing development of the U.S. Marine Corps’ISR capabilities, with its advanced network-extension and electronic support capabilities poised to provide a critical advantage in support of the service’s mission.
The use of the MQ-9 Reaper with SkyTower II and RDESS/SOAR pods marks an exciting development in the ongoing evolution of the U.S. Marine Corps’ISR capabilities, as the service continues to invest in advanced technologies and expand its operational reach.
In the ongoing development of the U.S. Marine Corps’ ISR capabilities, the integration of SkyTower II and RDESS/SOAR pods on the MQ-9 Reaper represents a significant step forward, with its advanced network-extension and electronic support capabilities poised to provide a critical advantage in support of the service’s mission.
The use of the MQ-9 Reaper with SkyTower II and RDESS/SOAR pods marks an exciting development in the ongoing evolution of the U.S. Marine Corps’ ISR capabilities, with its advanced capabilities poised to play a vital role in supporting the service’s strategic objectives.
As the U.S. Marine Corps continues to evolve its operational plans, it is clear that SkyTower II and RDESS/SOAR pods will play a vital role in supporting its mission, marking an exciting development in the ongoing evolution of the U.S. Marine Corps’ISR capabilities.
The integration of these advanced systems on the MQ-9 Reaper demonstrates the U.S. Marine Corps’ commitment to investing in advanced technologies and expanding its operational reach, with SkyTower II and RDESS/SOAR pods poised to provide a critical advantage in support of the service’s mission.
As the U.S. Marine Corps continues to invest in advanced ISR capabilities, it is clear that these systems will play a vital role in supporting its strategic objectives, marking an exciting development in the ongoing evolution of the U.S. Marine Corps’ISR capabilities.
The integration of SkyTower II and RDESS/SOAR pods on the MQ-9 Reaper represents a significant step forward in the ongoing development of the U.S. Marine Corps’ ISR capabilities, with its advanced network-extension and electronic support capabilities poised to provide a critical advantage in support of the service’s mission.
The use of the MQ-9 Reaper with SkyTower II and RDESS/SOAR pods marks an exciting development in the ongoing evolution of the U.S. Marine Corps’ISR capabilities, as the service continues to invest in advanced technologies and expand its operational reach.
In conclusion, the first flight of an MQ-9A Reaper equipped with SkyTower II and RDESS/SOAR pods marks a significant milestone in the development of the U.S. Marine Corps’ ISR capabilities. The integration of these advanced systems on the MQ-9 Reaper is poised to provide a critical advantage in support of the service’s mission, with its advanced network-extension and electronic support capabilities.