Latest news with #MQ9Reaper
Yahoo
06-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
AGM-114 Hellfire Missile Getting Articulated Warhead Capable Of Blasting In Different Directions
A new variant of the AGM-114 Hellfire missile with a warhead that can be set to focus its blast in different directions depending on the target is in the works for the U.S. special operations community. U.S. Air Force special operations MQ-9 Reaper drones and AC-130J Ghostrider gunships are set to be the launch platforms, at least initially, for the Selectable Precision Effects Articulated (SPEAR) version of the Hellfire. Details about the SPEAR warhead are tucked away in the Pentagon's 2026 Fiscal Year budget request. Other budget documents show that U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) has been testing SPEAR since at least 2021. The development of the new warhead has been conducted as part of SOCOM's larger Stand-off Precision Guided Munitions (SOPGM) program, which includes special operations-specific Hellfire variants and a number of other air-launched munitions. Within the U.S. special operations community, Hellfire missiles are known to currently be employed from MQ-9 and MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones, as well as AC-130Js. The video below shows an AC-130J firing Hellfires, as well as other weapons. A 'FY2026 increase [in requested funding for SOPGM] is due to an overall increase in the cost to provide Hellfire with a Selectable Precision Effects Articulated (SPEAR) warhead,' the Pentagon's latest budget proposal explains. SOCOM is asking for $49.972 million for SOPGM in the upcoming fiscal cycle, $2.643 million more than it received for the program in Fiscal Year 2025. The boost in funding will also support procurement of new Small Cruise Missiles (SCM) to arm the AC-130J, which you can read about more here. 'The SPEAR warhead is a dual-mode warhead (Forward/ Radial) that allows the user to select different firing modes (Radial or forward blast) depending on the targets,' the budget documents add. 'This new variant will be integrated on both the AC-130 Gunship and the MQ-9 Platforms.' How exactly the warhead is 'articulated,' including whether or not it physically moves inside the missile body when switching between the forward and radial modes, is unclear. No further details about the kinds of effects the warhead is designed to produce in either mode (blast-fragmentation, overpressure, etc) are provided. TWZ has reached out to SOCOM for more information. Regardless, the SPEAR warhead is clearly designed to give a single Hellfire missile added flexibility against different target sets. The standard warhead for the AGM-114R Hellfire, the predominant version in U.S. service today, consists of a shaped charge surrounded by a fragmentation 'sleeve' that sends out a cloud of deadly shrapnel upon detonation. This is billed as a multi-purpose warhead suitable for use against a wide variety of targets, including armored and unarmored vehicles, small boats, structures, and personnel in the open. However, the shaped charge component is fixed in a forward-facing position, while the design of the sleeve would give the fragmentation effect a radial pattern. Being able to better focus the effects of the warhead forward or in a radial direction on command could be advantageous in various scenarios. For instance, air-bursting top-down attacks offer benefits against targets in trenches or behind hard cover, especially troops and softer-skinned vehicles. A radial effect could also be more desirable for engaging certain targets inside buildings. At the same time, SPEAR's 'articulated' design would still preserve the ability to focus the blast effect forward for more traditional point attacks on targets like vehicles or boats. In general, being able to more precisely focus the warhead's blast could also help reduce collateral damage. The SPEAR warhead also offers magazine depth benefits since a launch platform would not have to carry a mixed load of Hellfires to offer the same breadth of effects. This, in turn, would eliminate the potentially hard choice about whether or not to employ a particular version of the missile during a sortie for fear of not having that option later on. More flexibility in ordnance loadout would make it easier to respond in the most effective way possible to threats or targets of opportunity that might suddenly appear, as well. The Air Force special operations MQ-9s and AC-130Js that are expected to be the first armed with these new Hellfires routinely conduct very long-duration sorties, including ones where hours are spent waiting for the best moment to launch a targeted strike or providing critical overwatch for forces on the ground. SOCOM is certainly already well known for fielding an array of specialized Hellfires, including ones designed to substantially limit the risk of collateral damage during targeted strikes, particularly against specific individuals. The best known of these variants is the still highly classified AGM-114R9X, which has garnered nicknames like the 'Flying Ginsu' and 'Ninja Bomb' on account of it having an array of pop-out sword-like blades rather than a traditional high-explosive warhead. Apparently, the US carried out a new assassination strike in Idlib Governorate of Syria on remains of the R9X Hellfire missile were found at the scene of the strike on the road between Kafr Takharim and Armanaz in northern part of Idlib region. These missiles are… — Status-6 (Military & Conflict News) (@Archer83Able) December 17, 2024 In March, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) released the first-ever video, seen below, of an R9X Hellfire being employed, in this case in a strike targeting a member of Al Qaeda's franchise in Syria. TWZ was the first to identify the weapon's unique impact signature back in 2017, following another strike in Syria. 'Ginsu' Hellfires have also reportedly been used against targets in Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, Somalia, and Yemen. CENTCOM Forces Kill the Senior Military Leader of Al-Qaeda Affiliate Hurras al-Din (HaD) in SyriaOn Feb. 23, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted a precision airstrike in Northwest Syria, targeting and killing Muhammed Yusuf Ziya Talay, the senior military leader of… — U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 1, 2025 At least three other Hellfire designations – AGM-114R9E, R9G, and R9H – have been linked to low collateral damage variants in SOCOM's SOPGM arsenal, though details about their specific configurations are limited, as you can read more about here. All this being said, it would not be hard to see Hellfires with SPEAR warheads migrating to other platforms outside of the U.S. special operations community. In addition, Hellfire missiles, the majority of which are laser-guided munitions, are best known as air-to-ground weapons, but the millimeter wave radar-guided AGM-114L Longbow variant has emerged as a useful tool for tackling drones in recent years. A warhead with selectable directional effects would offer advantages in the anti-air role. The SPEAR warhead itself, or new designs leveraging the design, could find their way into other munitions. The AGM-179A Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM), which is expected to eventually supplant the Hellfire in U.S. service, is notably derived from the AGM-114R and uses the same multi-purpose warhead. It's also interesting to note here that the U.S. Air Force has been testing heavily modified AGM-114s with entirely new, fully articulating nose sections as part of its Missile Utility Transformation via Articulated Nose Technology (MUTANT) project. MUTANT has been exploring whether this technology could help improve the probability of a missile scoring a kill against an aerial target. The Air Force has stressed that Hellfire is currently being used mostly because it is a readily available design, and that it is not necessarily a direct path to an operational munition. Whether there has been any interest in exploring how the MUTANT technology could apply in an air-to-ground context is unknown. In the meantime, SOCOM is at least moving forward with plans to arm MQ-9s and AC-130Js with new Hellfires carrying SPEAR warheads. Contact the author: joe@
Time of India
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Israeli Drones 'Fail To Pierce' Iranian Airspace; U.S.-Made MQ-9 Reaper 'Bites Dust'
Tasnim News Agency reported that Iran has shot down 8 Israeli drones, including an U.S.-made MQ9 Reaper in Ilam province. This as Israel renewed attacks on Iran on day 4 of the conflict which was started by Tel Aviv to destroy Tehran's nuclear capabilities. It comes after a night of Iranian ballistic missile barrage, that sparked fires and injured 8 people in Haifa and Kiryat Gat. Footage on social media showed huge plumes of smoke and explosions in Tehran and Kermanshah after fresh Israeli strikes. Watch for more details. Read More
Gizmodo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Gizmodo
Feds Reportedly Sent a Predator Drone to Spy on LA Protesters
As Trump's shock troops invade Los Angeles, his administration is using every tool at its disposal to attack and surveil the political protests taking place in the city's streets. That apparently includes the use of a Predator drone, which 404 Media reports was spotted by an aviation tracker as it zoomed over the city. The outlet notes that, over the weekend, an MQ-9 Reaper flew over the political protests happening in the city. Onlookers suspected the drone's presence based on public flight data that picked up movements of a mysterious aircraft: One aircraft with no callsign, making it initially difficult to determine its model or which agency it belongs to, flew above the areas of the protests in Paramount and downtown Los Angeles on Sunday. The data showed this aircraft flying in distinctive hexagonal patterns, and 404 Media observed it fly afterwards to the U.S.-Mexico border. The existence of the drone appears to have been confirmed by an aviation tracking enthusiast, 'Aeroscout,' who came across air traffic control audio that largely corroborates the vehicle's presence during the protests and riots. The audio was shared with 404 Media by Aeroscout. 'TROY703, traffic 12 o'clock, 8 miles, opposite direction, another 'TROY' Q-9 at FL230,' an air traffic operator can be heard to say, in apparent reference to the autonomous plane. TROY is a callsign used by DHS, which would have been operating the drone, 404 writes. Q-9 is a shorthand for MQ-9, it adds. This isn't the first time that the government has treated its own population like a foreign enemy. In 2020, as George Floyd protests roiled cities throughout the country, Customs and Border Patrol also used a Predator drone to surveil protesters. The use of the drone sparked inquiries by congressional leaders into its legality. A variety of other aircraft were deployed over LA during the last few days. On Monday, it was reported that an LAPD helicopter had flown over a group of protesters and claimed, 'I have all of you on camera. I'm going to come to your house.' Privacy advocates have noted that the existence of facial recognition and other covert tracking tech make such threats possible if not particularly likely. Trump's excursion in LA represents a significant escalation from previous federal outings and has little precedent in the modern era. His mobilization of the National Guard, followed by the deployment of U.S. Marines, is an incredible overreaction to a smattering of riots that pale in comparison to your average Super Bowl mob. At the same time, recently leaked documents show that Trump's DHS head, Kristi Neom, had asked the Defense Department to use the military to arrest 'lawbreakers'—an act that, under general U.S. law, would be illegal without the invocation of the Insurrection Act. Trump has also claimed he might arrest California's governor, Gavin Newsom. Critics maintain that the administration is dancing on the knife's edge of dictatorial overreach. Predictably, the police-state style tactics have inspired significant criticism, including from LA Mayor Karen Bass, who said that her city was being used as a 'test case' for future authoritarian operations. This is 'what happens when the federal government moves in and takes the authority away from the state or away from local government,' Bass said, during a recent press conference. 'I don't think our city should be used for an experiment.' Bass added that the 'chaos' in the city was 'started' by 'Washington DC' and that 'nothing warranted the raids' that had taken place as part of ICE's operations. Why has the Trump administration chosen this particular moment to stage a climactic battle in the heart of Liberal America? The government maintains that it's just keeping the peace in a city overrun by criminals, though critics (like Jon Stewart) have voiced other theories: Could it be that Trump is doing this now because his former 'First Buddy,' Elon Musk, accused him of being in the Epstein files last week—an accusation that swiftly gained traction as a result of Democratic lawmakers' interest in pursuing the matter? Could it be that this latest display of authoritarian stagecraft is really just a flailing and desperate effort to distract from the President's longtime ties to a notorious pedophile who died during Trump's last term in office? There is, of course, no way to tell, but onlookers are entitled to their perspectives.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Yahoo
The reign of the Reaper drone may be coming to an end
Threats to medium-altitude drones like the MQ-9 Reaper are growing. These types of drones are suffering mounting losses in wars from Ukraine to Yemen. These persistent and armed eyes in the sky face a cost-benefit dilemma. In the Global War on Terror, America's MQ-9 Reaper was the most terrifying weapon. Armed with missiles and able to stay in the air for 24 hours, the Reaper — and its older cousin, the MQ-1 Predator — became the symbols of Drone Age remote-control warfare. But the skies are not so Reaper-friendly anymore. The Reaper built by General Atomics has a 66-foot wingspan is almost double that of small, crewed planes like the Cessna 172. Many of these big and expensive drones — the Reaper costs $30 million — have been shot down over Yemen, Lebanon, and Ukraine. This has some experts questioning whether militaries like that of the UK should stop buying expensive Medium-Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) drones such as the Reaper. Better to purchase smaller, cheaper drones they can afford to lose, their thinking goes. "MALE drones can provide persistent surveillance, including through clouds with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), but only if they can survive," wrote military researcher Robert Tollast in an essay for the Royal United Services Institute, a British think tank. "And as that survivability is now highly questionable, it seems that the UK must look for alternative approaches." At least 15 Reapers have been shot down by Houthi rebels over Yemen since October 2023, with seven destroyed in March and April 2025, estimated losses at or above $500 million. The threat to the Reapers would likely be much greater against a more advanced military, which fields larger and more accurate air defenses. Houthi air defenses are far from cutting edge: old Soviet-made SA-2 and SA-6 missiles date back to the 1960s, or are Iranian weapons based on those designs. In the Ukraine war, Ukraine's Turkish-made TB2 Bayraktar drones — armed with laser-guided anti-tank missiles — initially devastated Russian armored columns that invaded in February 2022. But dozens of TB2s were destroyed once Russian air defenses were deployed, and the Bayraktar has disappeared from Ukrainian skies. Meanwhile, Israel's Hermes drones have fallen victim to Hezbollah anti-aircraft missiles. This has left Britain in a quandary. The British Army's MALE drone, the Watchkeeper, has proven a failure. Based on Israel's Hermes 450, the Watchkeeper produced by Thales Group and Elbit Systems first flew in 2010, but wasn't deployed until 2018. Delays, technical issues and several crashes spurred the retirement of the Watchkeeper fleet in March, less than seven years after it was fielded. "We are getting rid of Watchkeeper because that system has been in service since 2010 and, according to all the military chiefs, is out of date," Lord Vernon Croaker, a senior official in the Ministry of Defense, told the House of Commons in November 2024. With a range of almost 100 miles, the Watchkeeper could peer deep into enemy areas and locate supply depots, airbases and other targets for long-range artillery, missiles and aircraft. Thus the British Army is now embarked on Project Corvus, which calls for a long-endurance surveillance drone that can stay airborne for 24 hours and fly deep penetration missions. But this may only result in another MALE drone too expensive to buy in quantity, and too vulnerable to be expendable. These same issues threaten the Reaper ($30 million) and the Bayraktar TB-2 ($5 million). "Assessments in Ukraine would suggest that the point at which a UAV becomes attritable is a unit price below $200,000 for ISR [surveillance missions]," Tollast wrote. This creates a cost-benefit dilemma. Hordes of cheap, expendable first-person view (FPV) drones have become the dominant weapon in the Ukraine war, paralyzing bold battlefield maneuvers and practically driving armored vehicles off the battlefield. These are mass-produced commercial drones that can be rigged for military missions at a total cost of hundreds of dollars. Most of these have limited payload capacity, altitude and a range of only around 10 miles. On the other end of the spectrum is the airliner-sized RQ-4 Global Hawk, a high-altitude $200 million drone that is being retired from the US military. A Global Hawk was destroyed by an Iranian anti-aircraft missile in 2019. In the middle are the drones like the Reaper, which can carry a 2-ton payload of missiles and sensors, has a range of 1,200 miles, and can fly at 50,000 feet. The Reapers were essential aircraft in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as they could stay in the air hunting for targets far longer than a crewed aircraft, and be placed in more dangerous airspace because there was no risk to a human flier. For example, from September 2007 to July 2008, MQ-9 flew 480 sorties totaling more than 3,800 hours in Afghanistan. In many ways, these UAVs resemble the earliest drones, which were just modified versions of manned aircraft. For example, World War II F6F Hellcat fighters converted into remote-controlled machines for target practice. The AQM-34L Firebee that flew reconnaissance missions over Vietnam was 29 feet long, not much shorter than an MQ-9. They face a glaring problem: more adversaries are armed with air defense missiles capable of knocking out aircraft-sized drones. Drones like the MQ-9 were not designed to fly in areas covered by an enemy's surface-to-air missiles. A Bayraktar's cruise speed is only 80 miles per hour, while even a relatively speedy Reaper has a cruise speed of around 200 miles per hour. Thus even a militant group like the Houthis can down an MQ-9 with an old Soviet SA-6 surface-to-air missile. This puts drones at a fork in the road — go low-cost and large volume or even higher-cost with fewer aircraft but more capability. America's Reaper replacement may do the latter: a more sophisticated — and expensive — drone that includes stealth capabilities to evade radar; radar remains the primary means for air defenses to detect targets. For Britain, with its far smaller defense budget of roughly $70 billion, an improved MALE drone isn't viable. Tollast sees several non-drone options, including Low Earth Orbit satellites, high-altitude balloons, and tethered aerostats (such as blimps), which avoid the vulnerability of medium-altitude drones. Yet satellites and balloons may not be in position when you need them, and aerostats can't be dispatched quickly into remote areas. Unless a technological breakthrough enables small UAVs to enjoy the capabilities of their larger brethren, the inability of large drones to function reduces the huge advantage of sensing the battlefield that the US and Western militaries have enjoyed. Michael Peck is a defense writer whose work has appeared in Forbes, Defense News, Foreign Policy magazine, and other publications. He holds an MA in political science from Rutgers Univ. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn. Read the original article on Business Insider
New York Times
12-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Why Trump Suddenly Declared Victory Over the Houthi Militia
When he approved a campaign to reopen shipping in the Red Sea by bombing the Houthi militant group into submission, President Trump wanted to see results within 30 days of the initial strikes two months ago. By Day 31, Mr. Trump, ever leery of drawn-out military entanglements in the Middle East, demanded a progress report, according to administration officials. But the results were not there. The United States had not even established air superiority over the Houthis. Instead, what was emerging after 30 days of a stepped-up campaign against the Yemeni group was another expensive but inconclusive American military engagement in the region. The Houthis shot down several American MQ-9 Reaper drones and continued to fire at naval ships in the Red Sea, including an American aircraft carrier. And the U.S. strikes burned through weapons and munitions at a rate of about $1 billion in the first month alone. It did not help that two $67 million F/A-18 Super Hornets from America's flagship aircraft carrier tasked with conducting strikes against the Houthis accidentally tumbled off the carrier into the sea. By then, Mr. Trump had had enough. Steve Witkoff, his Middle East envoy, who was already in Omani-mediated nuclear talks with Iran, reported that Omani officials had suggested what could be a perfect offramp for Mr. Trump on the separate issue of the Houthis, according to American and Arab officials. The United States would halt the bombing campaign and the militia would no longer target American ships in the Red Sea, but without any agreement to stop disrupting shipping that the group deemed helpful to Israel. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
