U.S. MQ-9 Drone gets Deadlier with New 'Ghost Reaper Pods' Our Bureau 862 MQ-9 Reaper with three Ghost Reaper pods awaits takeoff at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, N.Y., April, 14, 2021. The U.S. Air Force’s MQ-9 Reaper drone has received new capabilities including battlefield and airspace communications enhancements as well as target identification tracking and processing. On May 6, the Air Force said the 174th Attack Wing has partnered with multiple Department of Defense contractors and academia to lead the effort in establishing new and additional capabilities for the MQ-9 Reaper. The assistant director of operations at the 174th Operations Support Squadron explained there are three separate pods; the Freedom Pod, Centerline Avionics Bay Pod and the REAP Pod. Each pod is manufactured by a contractor which specializes in its unique function, leveraging expertise from previous programs.