July 15, 2021 MQ-9 Agile Combat Employment: A big step closer to reality The 556th Test and Evaluation Squadron proved the MQ-9 Reaper’s Automatic Takeoff and Landing Capability (ATLC) is ready as of July 8, enabling crews to divert to airfields without traditional launch and recovery infrastructure or personnel.
Oct. 1, 2020 MQ-9 Reaper takes flight with 8 Hellfire missiles This new capability is part of the MQ-9 Operational Flight Program 2409, a software upgrade set to field by the end of calendar year 2020. Previous to this software, the MQ-9 was limited to four AGM-114s across two stations.