General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. won a Pentagon contract to integrate the Guided Bomb Unit-39B/B Laser Small Diameter Bomb (Laser Small Diameter Bomb) onto the MQ-9 Reaper. The roughly $17.46 million deal calls for the weapon to be mounted via a Universal Armament Interface on a dual carriage system, which would allow each Reaper to carry more of these munitions per sortie. The contract set a completion date of 2021; the notice itself does not confirm when or whether the capability entered operational service, but it outlines a path to giving the MQ-9 a longer-range precision option than its typical loadout.
What the Pentagon Contract Covers
The Department of Defense awarded GA-ASI a contract worth approximately $17.46 million to integrate the GBU-39B/B, also known as the Laser Small Diameter Bomb, onto the MQ-9 Reaper platform. The scope of the work centers on connecting the weapon to the drone through a Universal Armament Interface, a standardized system that allows different munitions to communicate with the aircraft’s fire-control electronics without requiring unique wiring or software for each weapon type. That interface sits on a dual carriage system, meaning a single weapons station on the Reaper’s wing can hold two of the laser-guided bombs instead of one.
The dual carriage approach matters because the MQ-9 has a limited number of hardpoints under its wings. Carrying two bombs per station rather than one effectively expands the drone’s strike capacity on each mission without adding external pylons or increasing drag. The contract set a completion target of 2021, giving GA-ASI several years to design, test, and certify the integration. Potential payoffs could include more weapons available per flight and fewer sorties to service the same number of targets, though the contract notice does not quantify cost or operational impacts.
Why the Laser Small Diameter Bomb Changes the Equation
The GBU-39B/B is not a new weapon, but pairing it with the Reaper changes what the drone can do in practice. Standard Hellfire missiles carried by the MQ-9 generally require the aircraft to operate relatively closer to a target before release. The Laser Small Diameter Bomb, by contrast, is a glide weapon designed to reach targets from farther away after release, using deployable wings to extend its flight path. That added standoff could help keep the Reaper farther from some air-defense threats during the critical moments of a strike, though it would not eliminate survivability risks in heavily defended airspace.
The laser guidance component adds a second layer of flexibility. GPS-only bombs follow pre-programmed coordinates and cannot adjust after release if a target moves. A laser-guided variant can track a designator spot that an operator or ground team keeps trained on a moving vehicle or individual, giving the weapon the ability to correct its flight path in the final seconds before impact. For the kinds of missions the Reaper typically flies, such as close air support for ground forces and strikes against mobile targets in denied areas, that combination of range and terminal accuracy fills a gap that Hellfires and larger Joint Direct Attack Munitions each only partially address.
How the Universal Armament Interface Shapes Future Upgrades
One detail in the contract that carries implications well beyond this single weapon is the use of the Universal Armament Interface. The interface is an open-architecture standard that allows different munitions to plug into the same aircraft wiring and software backbone. Once the MQ-9 is certified to use the interface on its dual carriage racks, adding future weapons becomes a matter of software updates and certification testing rather than a full-scale rewiring of the airframe. That lowers both the cost and timeline for integrating new munitions as they enter the inventory.
For the defense industry, the interface standard also opens the door for competing manufacturers to offer weapons that work on the Reaper without needing proprietary connectors or bespoke integration contracts. That competitive dynamic can drive down unit costs for the Air Force over time. The dual carriage system reinforces this logic: a standardized rack that accepts multiple weapon types on a single station gives mission planners the option to mix munitions on the same sortie, loading one station with laser-guided bombs and another with Hellfires depending on the expected threat environment. The result is a more adaptable aircraft that can shift roles between missions, or even during a single flight, without hardware changes on the flight line.
Operational Stakes in Contested Airspace
The timing of this integration effort reflects a broader shift in how the Pentagon views the Reaper’s role. For most of its operational life, the MQ-9 flew in permissive environments where adversaries had little ability to shoot it down. Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Somalia offered few serious air defense threats, and the drone’s relatively slow speed and large radar signature were acceptable tradeoffs for its long endurance and sensor capabilities. That calculus changes against opponents with modern integrated air defense systems, where a slow-moving drone at medium altitude becomes an easy target.
Equipping the Reaper with longer-range weapons does not solve the survivability problem entirely, but it buys margin. A drone that can release a precision weapon from farther away may not need to fly directly over a defended target area. That standoff capability keeps the MQ-9 relevant in scenarios where it would otherwise be too vulnerable to risk. One implication often discussed with weapons upgrades is whether they can help keep the Reaper useful for certain missions while other, more survivable platforms handle the most heavily defended environments. The contract notice itself does not address force-structure decisions or replacement costs.
Implications for U.S. Counterterrorism and Coalition Operations
The broader consequence for U.S. military strategy is that armed drones remain a primary tool for operations that fall below the threshold of full-scale war. Counterterrorism strikes, support for partner forces, and targeted operations in areas where the United States does not maintain large ground contingents all rely on aircraft that can stay aloft for long periods and respond quickly when a fleeting target appears. Increasing the number and variety of precision weapons a single Reaper can carry strengthens that model by allowing a single orbiting drone to service multiple targets of opportunity during a single mission window.
Operators of the MQ-9 and similar remotely piloted aircraft may watch U.S. integration efforts closely, since U.S. configurations can influence what options are pursued elsewhere over time. As the Reaper gains the ability to carry more small, precise munitions, it becomes better suited to missions where minimizing collateral damage is politically and strategically important. In many counterterrorism and stability operations, the ability to engage a target with a smaller warhead, at longer range, and with high accuracy can make the difference between a successful strike that local authorities accept and an operation that generates backlash. By expanding the Reaper’s loadout with the Laser Small Diameter Bomb through a universal interface, the Pentagon is not only improving one aircraft’s lethality, but also shaping how remote airpower will be applied in sensitive theaters for years to come.
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*This article was researched with the help of AI, with human editors creating the final content.
