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General Atomics to perform Reaper, Predator support services

By Ryan Maass
General Atomics is set to perform various support services for the U.S. Air Force's MQ-1 and MQ-9 Predator variants. Photo courtesy of General Atomics
General Atomics is set to perform various support services for the U.S. Air Force's MQ-1 and MQ-9 Predator variants. Photo courtesy of General Atomics

WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- General Atomics has received a $349 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to perform MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper support services.

Under the contract, the company will be tasked with conducting logistics support, program and configuration management, depot repair, and additional services.

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According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the work will be performed at Poway, Calif., and is expected to be complete by December 2017. Operations and management funds in the amount of $104.9 million were obligated at the time of the contract award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management center at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia is listed as the contracting activity.

The MQ-1 Predator and its successor, the MQ-9 Reaper are turbo-prop unmanned aerial vehicles used for intelligence gathering missions as well as targeted strike operations.

The Reaper was first flown in 2001, and has been used heavily by both the U.S. Air Force and the U.K. Royal Air Force to support counterterrorism efforts in the Middle East.

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