On August 15, 2024, the U.S. State Department approved a potential Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Italy. This sale includes six MQ-9 Block 5 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and a comprehensive package of associated military systems and equipment, with the total estimated cost being $738 million. The Block 5 variant can carry various munitions, such as GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, and can conduct missions lasting over 16 hours.
The transaction primarily involves the delivery of six MQ-9 Block 5 aircraft, the latest version of the MQ-9 Reaper. Developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, the MQ-9 Reaper, which evolved from the MQ-1 Predator, has been in service since 2007. It is designed for long-endurance, high-altitude surveillance, and precision strike missions, and has been used in various military operations, including those in Afghanistan and Iraq, where it has provided intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and engaged targets with precision-guided munitions.