Italian Air Force MQ-9A Reaper Ordered

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems announced on 8 September 2026 that the Italian Air Force had ordered two MQ-9A Block 5 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft, together with ground control stations, through a Foreign Military Sale with the US Air Force. Delivery is scheduled for the end of 2027. The purchase draws on the August 2024 US approval for up to six MQ-9A Block 5 aircraft for Italy, estimated at 738 million dollars, and adds to the fleet operated from Amendola, which the service uses for surveillance over the Mediterranean.