MQ-9A Armament Upgrade (GBU-12 and Hellfire)

The MQ-9A Armament Upgrade contract, valued at 125 million EUR, funds enhancements to the MQ-9A Reaper drone's armament capabilities, specifically integrating or expanding support for GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bombs and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles. This allows the MQ-9A to carry up to eight Hellfire missiles—doubling its standard capacity of four—by repurposing pylons previously used for bombs or fuel tanks via software updates like Operational Flight Program 2409, improving lethality for precision strikes, close air support, and anti-armor missions while maintaining payload flexibility.