An MQ-9 Reaper has flown 20,000 hours, a record for that model of UAV.
The UAV made its first flight on January 31, 2008. It hit 20,000 hours while performing a 17-hour combat mission in Afghanistan on December 23, according to a news release by manufacturer General Atomics. Most of those hours were accumulated during overseas operations.
“Some 230 Predator B aircraft have amassed more than 942,000 flight hours since the RPA’s first flight in 2001,” General Atomics said.
Related: Italian Reaper drones to be used for crowd monitoring
