MQ-9B Passes Key Icing Tests, Boosting Operational Flexibility Written 21 April 2026
In This Section
An MQ-9 Reaper, armed with GBU-12 Paveway II laser guided munitions and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, piloted by Col. Lex Turner flies a combat mission over southern Afghanistan. | Credit: U.S. Air Force Photo / Lt. Col. Leslie Pratt
Unmanned Systems Technology reports, “General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has conducted a series of flight tests aimed at certifying the MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) for Flight Into Known Icing (FIKI). The flight tests began last year, and all planned testing was successfully completed in early April from GA-ASI’s Flight Test & Training Center (FTTC) near Grand Forks, North Dakota, using a company-owned MQ-9B.”
Full Story (Unmanned Systems Technology)