This FMS will allow Italy to double its MQ-9A fleet, completing the potentiation of the Predator RPA fleet and the modernization to the Block 5 configuration.
The U.S. government has approved the possible Foreign Military Sale to Italy of a new batch of the MQ-9 Block 5 Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) on Aug. 15, 2024. This FMS follows the beginning of the Block 5 flight operations in Italy last year and the upgrade of the aircraft already in service to the same configuration.
The FMS covers the acquisition of six Block 5 Predators (the name Reaper has not been adopted in Italy), together with related equipment and support, for a total estimated cost of $ 738 million (€ 671.6 million). The new FMS will allow the Italian air force to double its Predator RPA fleet, adding six aircraft to the seven already in service, but a delivery date has not been provided.
According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notice, in addition to the six MQ-9s, Italy has also requested three Mobile Ground Control Stations (MGCS), twelve AN/DAS-4 Multi-spectral Target Systems, nine LYNX AN/APY-8 Block 20A Synthetic Aperture Radars with Maritime Wide Area Surveillance (MWAS) capability and one Embedded Global Positioning & Inertial Navigation System (EGI).
The contract will also include engines, test stations, radios, ground data and SATCOM terminals, Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) systems, together with a comprehensive support package and initial training. Once operational, the training will be managed entirely by the 32° Stormo (Wing) of the Italian Air Force, the operational unit to which the MQ-9s are assigned.
Interestingly, the DSCA notice confirms that the Italian MQ-9s have been indeed weaponized, after a not always explicit mention by the Ministry of Defense following a 2015 FMS for the RPA’s weaponization. “Italy already has MQ-9 Block 5 aircraft with strike capabilities in its inventory and will have no difficulty absorbing these articles into its armed forces,” said the DSCA.
Italian MQ-9s have always been surrounded by a veil of secrecy, with few details divulged to the public, especially regarding its offensive capabilities. However, it appears there was a chance of tendency in the last few years with a more public profile for the aircraft, including its participation to the airshow for the 100 years of the Italian Air Force, and testing to allow the RPA to fly in civilian airspace on routes normally reserved to manned flights.
Italy and the MQ-9 Block 5
As part of the multiyear defense planning document for 2022-2024, the Italian MoD mentioned the continuation of the modernization, potentiation and completion of the MQ-9 fleet. These activities were all listed under the Mid Life Modernization (MLM) of the RPA fleet of the Italian Air Force.
The MLM also included the procurement of two new MQ-9A Block 5 aircraft and a ground station, in addition to the upgrade of the other five RPAs already in service to the same configuration. Italy previously acquired through FMS four MQ-9A Block 1 in 2008 and two more in 2009, although one was lost over Libya in 2019.
The new procurement is part of the 2021 contract to General Atomics for the MLM, although the contract notice at the time only mentioned “MQ-9A Block 5 aircraft and Block 30 Mobile Ground Control Station (MGCS) procurement” without stating the number of aircraft.
The Italian Air Force performed the first flight with the newly delivered MQ-9A Block 5 at the end of 2023. Ahead of the first flight, Italian pilots and sensor operators started their training last year at General Atomics’ Flight Test & Training Center (FTTC) in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
The training commenced with the Instructor Difference Training (IDT) specifically designed for Italian instructors from the 32° Stormo, completing the MQ-9 Block 1 to Block 5 Transition Courses and basic qualification, tailored to meet the requirements of the existing Block 1 aircrew.
The Block 5 RPA provides a significant increase in electrical power generation, auto takeoff and landing capability with improved landing gear and datalinks, and the latest version of the GA-ASI Lynx Multi-mode Radar. The aircraft can provide a long-endurance, persistent surveillance capability with Full-Motion Video and Synthetic Aperture Radar/Moving Target Indicator/Maritime Radar.
Weaponization of the Italian RPAs
The weaponization of the Italian MQ-9 fleet has a long story, starting in 2012. In fact, in that year The Wall Street Journal first reported about the proposed sale to Italy of the kits to arm its Predators, which would have made Italy the second export country to have that capability (the other was the U.K.).
After years of delays, the FMS was approved in 2015 with a package included AGM-114R2 Hellfire missiles, GBU-12 and GBU-49 laser guided bombs, GBU-38 JDAM and GBU-54 Laser JDAM bombs. Once again, the deal disappeared from the news, as the Italian government reportedly decided to not proceed with the acquisition.
In 2021, the multiyear defense planning document for 2021-2023 first mentioned again the topic, with the generic mention of the payload and the image of an armed MQ-9. A brief paragraph was said to implicitly refer to the new weapon capability to be acquired.
“The aircraft will guarantee increased levels of safety and protection in convoys escort missions, providing a flexible defense capability that can be expressed from the air,” said the document. “It will also introduce a new protection option aimed both at forces on the ground and for the benefit of aerial assets during high intensity operations and, ultimately, to protect civilians in the event of a hybrid threat”.
A year later, the new planning document mentioned the same paragraph again, before proceeding this time to explicitly mention the weapons in a subsequent entry: “Modernization and renewal of the RPA fleet of the MLE category, the Predator platform, related weapons and interim solutions”. No new details emerged since then.
