A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper awaits maintenance Dec. 8, 2016, at Creech Air Force Base, Nev. The Air Force is set to retire the MQ-1 Predator and transition solely to the more capable MQ-9 in early 2018 to keep up with the continuously evolving battlespace environment. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Christian Clausen)