MQ-9 Reaper improvements expected to extend service life By (0) The U.S. Air Force announced improvements on Wednesday to the MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle to extend its service life. Photo courtesy of U.S. Air Force April 21 (UPI) -- Upgrades to the fleet of MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft will increase its effectiveness, the U.S. Air Force announced on Wednesday. Some existing versions of the drone aircraft will receive retrofit enhancements already installed on versions currently in production by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems. Advertisement Called the M2DO configuration, the improvements include additional anti-jamming properties, a boost in available electrical power and an open architecture design of the platform to encourage integration of new capabilities.