# MQ-9 Reaper: Price, Availability & Status (2026)

The MQ-9 Reaper is a remotely-piloted (not autonomous) MALE drone with AI-augmented ISR, crewed from a ground station. Defense procurement, no consumer price.

## Price

_No verified price on record._

There is no consumer price. The MQ-9 Reaper is defense procurement equipment sold to the US DoD and allied air forces on contract, so DEPLOY records zero price points rather than a consumer figure.

## Availability

_Status: internal-only_

The MQ-9 is sold to defense customers, not consumers. From General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, it has been in service since May 2007 across the US DoD and allied air forces (UK, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, France, and others); the MQ-9A line closed production in 2025 while the MQ-9B is in production.

## Status

The MQ-9 Reaper is the canonical legacy-prime medium-altitude long-endurance drone and the AI-augmented-not-autonomous contrast to the new-defense AI-first triangle. The MQ-9A (in service since 2007) is remotely-piloted, flown by a crew of three (pilot, sensor operator, mission intelligence coordinator) from a ground control station, with about 30 hours of ISR or 23 hours of armed endurance and a 3,800-pound payload; the MQ-9B SkyGuardian/SeaGuardian adds 40-plus hours and civil-airspace integration (the UK operates it as Protector RG Mk1). Its AI is augmentation, not autonomy: sensor fusion, ISR processing, and targeting assistance run while a human crew flies the aircraft and makes mission decisions. This operator-supervision is the editorial spine that separates it from the onboard-autonomy new-defense cohort.

## Compare

| Model | Pricing | Tier |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Bayraktar TB2](/price/baykar-bayraktar-tb2) | No consumer price | absence (Legacy-prime (remotely-piloted)) |
| [Anduril Ghost-X](/price/anduril-ghost) | No consumer price | absence (New-defense (autonomous, Lattice)) |
| [Shield AI V-BAT](/price/shield-ai-v-bat) | No consumer price | absence (New-defense (autonomous, Hivemind)) |
| [AeroVironment Switchblade](/price/aerovironment-switchblade) | No consumer price | absence (Legacy-prime (loitering munition)) |

## Common questions

### Is the MQ-9 Reaper autonomous?

No. It is remotely-piloted, flown by a crew of three from a ground control station. Its AI augments ISR, sensor fusion, and targeting; it does not execute missions autonomously.

### Can I buy an MQ-9 Reaper?

No. It is defense procurement equipment sold to the US DoD and allied air forces on contract; there is no consumer price.

## How DEPLOY verified this

- [How DEPLOY tracks pricing](https://news.deploy.report/methodology/how-we-track-pricing)
- [How DEPLOY verifies deployment status](https://news.deploy.report/methodology/how-we-verify-deployment-status)

## Related reading

- [Deploy News: What is an autonomous drone?](https://news.deploy.report/explainers/what-is-an-autonomous-drone)
- [Deploy News: What is physical AI?](https://news.deploy.report/explainers/what-is-physical-ai)

## On the registry

- [Model record](https://registry.deploy.report/models/ga-mq-9-reaper.md)
- [Manufacturer](https://registry.deploy.report/companies/general-atomics.md)

_Canonical: https://deploy.report/price/ga-mq-9-reaper_