France receives second MQ-9 Reaper drone system, orders fourth one.

France’s second Reaper system has been recently delivered to the DGA. Two drones directly headed to Niamey on Dec. 31 while the third one will soon join the Cognac Air Base where it will be used to train members of the 1/33 Belfort squadron, which flies the French MALE drones.

The French Air Force has already acquired three MQ-9 Reaper, which performed first operational flight in January 2014. General Atomics delivered on May 29 2015 a third Predator B/MQ-9 Reaper RPA to the French Ministry of Defense. A total of 12 aircraft are planned to be in service by 2019. If the previous aircraft were directly coming from the US existing inventory, the future Block 5 configuration could include modifications specifically designed to make it operable in the European sky.

The typical MQ-9 system is composed of multiple aircraft, ground-control stations, satellites, and flight and maintenance crews. The aircraft is powered by a 950 hp turboprop, with a maximum speed of about 260 knots (300 miles per hour or 483 km per hour) and a cruising speed of 150-170 knots (278 to 315 km/hour). With a 66 ft (20 m) wingspan, and a maximum payload of 3,800 lb (1,700 kg), the MQ-9 can be armed with a variety of weaponry, including Hellfire missiles and 500-lb laser-guided bomb units.