General Atomics Wins Contract to Expand Spain's Fleet of Reaper Drones

The United States is expanding its sale of MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Spain under the foreign military sales program, the Department of Defense said in a press release on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — General Atomics has been awarded a $56 million contract for the Spain MQ-9 Exportable Block 5 Procurement program.

Under the contract, the company will provide MQ-9 aircraft and its associated equipment over the next two years and the work is expected to be completed by January 31, 2019, the Defense Department added.

The Predator B is capable of remaining in the air for 27 hours at a maximum altitude of 50,000 feet. The system can be used to monitor borders, help direct rescue efforts following natural disasters and support Spain’s military missions worldwide, according to General Atomics.

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