MQ-9 Reaper

A MQ-9 Reaper flies above Creech Air Force Base, Nev., during a local training mission June 9, 2009. The 42nd Attack Squadron at Creech AFB operates the MQ-9. (U.S. Air Force photo/Paul Ridgeway)

MQ-9 Reaper

An MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aircraft prepares to land after a mission in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. The Reaper has the ability to carry both precision-guided bombs and air-to-ground missiles. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson)

MQ-9 Reaper

A MQ-9 Reaper prepares to launch Feb. 28 from Creech Air Force Base, Nev.. The Reapers arrived at the base in March 2007. (U.S. Air Force photo/Lawrence Crespo)

MQ-9 Reaper

An MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle flies over the crowd during the Aviation Nation Air Show at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Nov. 10. This year's show commemorated 60 years of airpower during the Air Force's year-long 60th anniversary celebration. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Robert W. Valenca)

MQ-9 Reaper

A fully armed MQ-9 Reaper taxis down an Afghanistan runway Nov. 4. The Reaper has flown 49 combat sorties since it first began operating in Afghanistan Sept. 25. It completed its first combat strike Oct. 27, when it fired a Hellfire missile over Deh Rawod, Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson)

MQ-9 Reaper

An MQ-9 Reaper takes off on a mission in Afghanistan Oct. 1. The MQ-9 has nearly nine times the range, can fly twice as high and carries more munitions than the MQ-1 Predator. (Courtesy photo)

MQ-9 Reaper

Aircrews perform a preflight check on an MQ-9 Reaper before it takes off on a mission in Afghanistan Oct. 1. The Reaper is larger and more heavily-armed than the MQ-1 Predator and attacks time-sensitive targets with persistence and precision, to destroy or disable those targets. (Courtesy photo)

MQ-9 Reaper

A maintenance Airman inspects an MQ-9 Reaper in Afghanistan Oct. 1. Capable of striking enemy targets with on-board weapons, the Reaper has conducted close air support and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. (Courtesy photo)