Reaper drones move to top of Ukraine’s wish list

Ukraine is increasingly interested in obtaining the MQ-9 Reaper spy drone from the US, bumping it up to the top of its wish list in recent months as it plans operations for the summer and seeks new ways to help identify Russian targets deep behind the front lines.

Since the early days of the war, the Reaper has been a priority for Kyiv as it sought to use them for strike and surveillance missions. But recently, Ukraine has dialed back that request and is mainly interested in using Reapers only for reconnaissance, according to four people familiar with the issue who were granted anonymity to discuss the new strategy, POLITICO reports.

The MQ-9 Reaper has been prioritized in Ukraine's requests since the beginning of the conflict. Kyiv used them for both strikes and reconnaissance. Now the Ukrainian Armed Forces plan to use the US UAV for reconnaissance only.

The turboprop-powered, multi-mission MQ-9A Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) was developed with GA-ASI funding and first flown in 2001. MQ-9A "Reaper" is a highly sophisticated development built on the experience gained with the company's battle-proven Predator RPA and is a major evolutionary leap forward in overall performance and reliability. MQ-9A was designated "Reaper" by the US and Royal Air Force, but has become the widely used name for any Predator B equipped with weapons.

Featuring unmatched operational flexibility, MQ-9A has an endurance of over 27 hours, speeds of 240 KTAS, can operate up to 50,000 feet, and has a 3,850 pound (1746 kilogram) payload capacity that includes 3,000 pounds (1361 kilograms) of external stores. The aircraft carries 500 per cent more payload and has nine times the horsepower. It provides a long-endurance, persistent surveillance/strike capability for the war fighter.