The large MQ-9 drones of the Spanish Air Force and their operation

The General Atomics MQ-9 Predator B unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), now called Reaper, made its first flight on February 2, 2001.

SIRTAP, the unmanned aircraft developed by Spain and Colombia for military purposes
Spain will have its first unmanned aerial vehicles armed with Hellfire missiles

This UAV began active service in the United States Air Force (USAF) in 2007 with seven units, and was deployed that same year to Iraq. Currently, The United States has 220 active MQ-9As in the USAF and 24 in the Air National Guard (ANG). The MQ-9 is a drone specifically designed for surveillance and reconnaissance missions, for which it is equipped with large wingspans (20 meters) and a fuselage that is 11 meters long.

The MQ-9 can also perform attack missions, and can be armed with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, R9X Hellfire Ninja missiles, GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bombs and GBU-38 and GBU-54 Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), AIM-9X Sidewinder Block 2 air-to-air missiles. It has a total of seven weapon mounts and accessories: three on each wing and one on the fuselage.

The Reaper has a top speed of 482 km/h (300 mph), a cruise speed of 313 km/h (194 mph), a flight ceiling of 15,420 meters (50,000 feet), and a range of 1,900 kilometers (1,200 miles). It is powered by a 900 hp Honeywell TPE331-10 turboprop engine and has a maximum takeoff weight of 5,670 kg. The drone is controlled from a remote station by two operators, a pilot and copilot.

The Spanish Air Force received the components of its first MQ-9 Block 5 in December 2019. There are currently 4 units in active service, designated NR.05 by the Air Force and with registrations NR.05-01, NR.05-02, NR.05-03 and NR.05-04.

These drones are assigned to the 233 Squadron of the 23rd Wing, based in Talavera La Real (Badajoz). The 23rd Wing also houses the F-5BM aircraft responsible for training the Air Force's fighter and attack pilots (in this photo we can see one of them next to an MQ-9, which gives us an idea of ​​its size).

Initially, the Spanish MQ-9s were purchased for surveillance and reconnaissance missions, but in November 2023, the purchase of Hellfire missiles was authorized for these UAVs, so that they can also carry out attack missions.

If you want to know more about this aircraft, yesterday the YouTube channel AiTelly published a complete video showing the MQ-9 inside and out and explaining how it works, including operations at the control station and its communications with the aircraft:

---

Photos: Ejército del Aire / U.S. Air Force.