The Italian Air Force orders two new MQ-9A Block 5 Reaper drones after the attack on Ali Al Salem

In March the Ali Al Salem base in Kuwait, which also hosted an Italian contingent, was attacked. An Iranian "shaed", i.e. a combat aircraft without a pilot and autonomously guided ammunition, hit a warehouse, shattering a reconnaissance "Predator/Reaper" belonging to the Italian aeronautical task force. That vehicle, was the comment in those hours by the Chief of Defense Staff, Luciano Portolano, was "indispensable for carrying out operational activities and had remained deployed to guarantee the continuity of operations". Another of these high-tech drones disappeared in the skies of Libya in 2019.

Now, seven months later, the Italian Air Force has ordered two new MQ-9A Block 5 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft produced by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems. «The Italian Air Force - we read in a company note - has ordered two new MQ-9A Block 5 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. When the new aircraft they will be delivered at the end of 2027, they will expand the fleet of the Italian Air Force. The purchase is part of a foreign military sales agreement with the United States Air Force that also includes ground control stations."

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“Hunter-killer” drone

The MQ-9A Block 5 Reaper (produced by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems) is one of the most advanced hunter-killer remotely piloted aircraft in the world for ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) and attack missions. A hunter-killer drone (literally "hunter-killer") is a remotely piloted aerial system designed specifically to carry out both the search and tracking phase (hunter) and the attack and destruction phase (killer) of the target. Compared to previous versions, Block 5 introduces high-level avionics and operational standards.

The characteristics

The MQ-9A Block 5 has an endurance of up to 26 hours and can operate up to 45,000 feet (13,716 meters). It has a payload capacity of 4,600 pounds (2,087 kilograms), which includes 3,750 pounds (1,701 kilograms) of external loads. It has a persistent and long-duration surveillance capability thanks to full-motion video, synthetic aperture radar/moving target indicator/maritime radar, as well as automatic take-off and landing. The MQ-9A Block 5 features a fault-tolerant flight control system and a triple-redundant avionics architecture, meaning it has three identical and independent electronic, computing or flight control systems that operate simultaneously to perform the same function on board the aircraft.