The Pentagon has awarded Amentum Services a $995 million contract to provide frontline maintenance for the U.S. Air Force’s MQ-9 Reaper drone fleet through 2030. The deal ensures higher mission-readiness for U.S. and allied operations worldwide amid ongoing global security demands.
The Department of Defense announced on 30 September 2025 that the Air Force selected Amentum under a new indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract to provide organizational-level maintenance at multiple U.S. bases and overseas locations. Work is expected to continue through 29 September 2030. The contract covers pre- and post-flight inspections, scheduled servicing, and corrective actions on airframes, propulsion systems, and mission equipment.
The MQ-9 Reaper, produced by General Atomics, is a medium-altitude, long-endurance remotely piloted aircraft combining day/night sensors with precision munitions such as AGM-114 Hellfires and laser- or GPS-guided bombs for ISR and strike operations. Amentum teams will operate from Creech and Nellis in Nevada, Shaw in South Carolina, Ellsworth in South Dakota, Whiteman in Missouri, Air National Guard hubs in Michigan, Tennessee, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, and other overseas locations in line with combatant command needs.
Maintenance tasks include TPE331 engine and propeller line servicing, flight control rigging, composite airframe repairs, avionics troubleshooting for mission processors, datalinks and Ku-band SATCOM, and serviceability checks on AN/DAS-1/-4 EO/IR turrets and radar payloads. This preserves the MQ-9’s ability to sustain long-duration ISR missions with rapid sensor-to-shooter delivery. In current Block 5 and Extended Range configurations, the Reaper can remain on station for over 24 hours depending on payload, cruise near 200 knots, operate up to 45,000–50,000 feet, and carry around 3,750 pounds across seven hardpoints.
The contract supports continuous reconnaissance-strike coverage from CENTCOM to AFRICOM and EUCOM, as well as training pipelines to maintain crew readiness and weapons qualifications. Frontline maintenance across nine U.S. bases and forward deployment “wherever required” helps sustain MQ-9 alert lines, armed overwatch for special operations, maritime domain awareness, and homeland defense missions.
The MQ-9 Reaper remains heavily tasked for counter-ISIS monitoring, Red Sea and Gulf surveillance, border and maritime interdiction, and NATO reassurance along the eastern flank. Allies continue adopting the platform or MQ-9B derivatives, while the U.S. evaluates export policy and survivability upgrades. Securing organizational-level maintenance through 2030 reflects near-term demand for affordable ISR and precision strike capabilities and ensures reliability on the flight line.
