Italy orders 2 new MQ-9As Reapers, as US seeks newer options

MILAN — Italy has ordered two additional MQ-9A Reaper Block 5 drones from General Atomics, to be delivered at the end of 2027, despite concerns from the US Air Force over recent losses of the drone type in Iran.

“Italy has been a very important partner for GA-ASI for more than 20 years — the Italian Air Force has continued to be a leader in the utilization of MQ-9A to support a wide range of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions in Italy, over the Mediterranean and in support of NATO operations,” David Alexander, president of GA-ASI, said in a press release.

Although no contract value was listed in the company announcement, it follows the Foreign Military Sale approval by the US State Department in August of 2024 for the procurement of up to six MQ-9 Block 5 aircraft and related equipment for an estimated cost of $738 million (€634 million).

Rome had previously ordered four Block 1 Reapers in 2008 and two more in 2009; however, it lost one of the drones in Libya in 2019, and another one was destroyed in March during an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait. The country is upgrading the remainder to the Block 5 standard under a contract signed with GA-ASI in 2021 worth $30.5 million.

The newest purchase comes against the backdrop of what the US Air Force has called “concerning” combat losses for its MQ-9 in Iran. 

During a media briefing on Sept. 3 at the Pentagon, Lt. Gen. Christopher Niemi, the Air Force’s chief modernization officer, said that the service is looking to accelerate the replacement program for the drones.

“So we want to bring this thing forward because of the fact that, although we have plenty of MQ-9As today, we are going through them at a rate that is concerning to us,” he told reporters. According to a Washington Post report, as of August 2026, at least 45 Reapers had been lost since the start of Operation Epic Fury in February, representing a quarter of the US’ inventory.

After the Pentagon briefing, General Atomics spokesman C. Mark Brinkley told Breaking Defense that the Reaper’s “unique combination of endurance, payload, range, sensors, weapons, connectivity, adaptability and reliability is precisely what enables mission effects that others struggle to replicate.”