Air Platform

The assassin in the sky: General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, MQ-1B Predator and MQ-1C Gray Eagle MALE UAV

The operation to kill Soleimani is believed to have been overseen by the CIA. U.S. Air Force pilots fly MQ-9 Reapers from Creech Air Force base in Nevada and some are seconded to the CIA in Langley, Virginia.

The MQ-1B Predator, MQ-1C Gray Eagle, and MQ-9 Reaper aka Predator B are Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) manufactured by General Atomics-Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI). Operated by controllers often sitting halfway around the world in dark trailers, the Predator is the platform that ushered in the new era of unmanned precision attacks. […]