"The name Reaper is one of the suggestions that came from our airmen in the field. It's fitting as it captures the lethal nature of this new weapon system," Moseley said.

The MQ-9 Reaper is the Air Force's first hunter-killer unmanned aeriel vehicle. It's larger and more powerful than the MQ-1 Predator and is designed to go after time-sensitive targets with persistence and precision, and destroy or disable those targets with 500-lb. bombs and Hellfire Missiles.

"The Reaper represents a significant evolution in UAV technology and employment," he said. "We've moved from using UAVs primarily in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance roles before Operation Iraqi Freeom, to a true hunter-killer role with the Reaper."

Moseley stressed that the key advantage is not keeping manned aircraft and pilots out of harm's way, but the persistence unmanned aerial vehicles can inherently provide. The Reaper can stay airborne for up to 14 hours fully loaded.

A 900 hp turbo-prop engine, compared to the 119 hp Predator engine, powers the aircraft. It has a 64-foot wingspan and carries more than 15 times the ordnance of the Predator, flying almost three times the Predator's cruise speed.

The Air Force has seven MQ-9 Reapers in its inventory, with a full-rate production decision expected in 2009.

The Air Force is the global leader in UAV innovation, Moseley said.

Related Links
UAV Technology at SpaceWar.com