Marines Fly MQ-9 Reaper with SkyTower II and RDESS/SOAR Pods

Published on August 13, 2025

In a post on social media, the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) announced the first flight of an MQ-9A Reaper, assigned to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (UX) 24, equipped with the SkyTower II and RDESS/SOAR pods. The Command defined this as a critical step toward Initial Operational Capability (IOC) later this year.

The pods’ names were explicitly mentioned, with only their capabilities mentioned, however they are clearly visible in the accompanying image. In fact, the image shows the MQ-9 equipped with the SkyTower II pod and an external fuel tank under the left wing and the RDESS/SOAR pod under the right wing, together with a still unknown pod on the centerline which might hosts the communications relay capabilities of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Reapers.
 
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