Italy MQ-9 Reaper

The Italian Ministry of Defence buys General Atomics MQ-9A Reaper aircraft, called Predator B in Italian service, through US Foreign Military Sales for the Italian Air Force, where the 28th Group of the 32nd Wing at Amendola flies them. The US notified sales of four aircraft in 2008 and two in 2009, missiles, bombs and arming kits for six aircraft in 2015, and in 2019 an upgrade of five Block 1 aircraft to Block 5 plus three new Block 5 aircraft. In August 2024 the US notified a further sale of up to six MQ-9 Block 5 aircraft and three mobile ground control stations worth an estimated USD 738 million, and in September 2026 Italy ordered two of them for delivery at the end of 2027.