The United States has already lost 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones during combat operations with Iran, with eight of them shot down just at the beginning of April.
The information was reported by CBS News, which cited an anonymous source. The estimated financial losses total around $700 million. The outlet did not provide any additional details, but we know that 11 of them had already been shot down in March.
The MQ-9 Reaper is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for reconnaissance and strike missions developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems. Based on the MQ-1 Predator, it has a service ceiling of approximately 13,000 meters and a maximum endurance of up to 24 hours.
Its main highlights are the six external hardpoints for weapons, which include: two inner stations, each capable of carrying up to 680 kg of payload; two mid-wing stations, up to 270 kg each; and two additional outer stations (wingtip positions), up to 90 kg each.
This configuration allows the platform to carry a wide range of armaments, including air-to-ground anti-tank AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, Mark 82 guided bombs, as well as other types of precision-guided munitions.
Combined with its long endurance and precision strike capability, its advanced intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) systems have also made the MQ-9 Reaper one of the main tools for reconnaissance, precision strike targeting, and battle damage assessment during the ongoing campaign.
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Photo: Royal Air Force. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
