A fully armed MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle taxis down the runway at an air base in Afghanistan on its way to another wartime mission. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson).
Ukraine is again asking the United States to supply it with MQ-9 Reaper combat drones, Politico reported on May 3, citing informed sources.
The Kiev regime first asked for the MQ-9 after the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine more than two years ago. However, it has become more persistent in recent months about acquiring them, according to the news outlet.
MQ-9 drones, which cost upwards of $30 million per a unit, are primarily used to collect intelligence, but have the ability to conduct strikes with a wide range of precision-guided bombs and missiles. The large drones can operate for more than 27 hours and reach altitudes of over 25,000 feet. However, its top speed is no more than 390 kilometers per hour.
While Ukraine initially requested the MQ-9 to carry out strikes and surveillance operations, sources told Politico that the U.S. ally now claims it needs the drones for reconnaissance only. Kiev forces want the drones by the summer as part of its plans to help identify Russian targets deep behind the frontlines, according to the sources.
The report pointed out that Washington is hesitant about supplying Ukraine with the drones over concerns that the Russian military would shoot them down.
While the MQ-9 is a highly-cabalple when it comes to intelligence gathering, its large size and slow speed makes it very easy to detect and intercept from long distances.
American MQ-9 drones are regularly intercepted by Russian fighter jets over the Black Sea and several other areas, including Syria.
On 14 March 2023, one of two intercepting Russian Su-27 fighter jets collided with an MQ-9 flying over the Black Sea. The incident forced U.S. forces to bring the damaged drone down in international waters.
In addition, the U.S. military lost at least four MQ-9s over the Middle East in the last few months to armed groups backed by Iran.
On 8 November 2023 and later on February 19 and April 25 of this year three drones of this type were shot down by the Houthis over Yemen and nearby international waters. Another drone was shot down on January 18 by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq over the country.
In order to collect meaningful intelligence, Kiev forces would have to fly their MQ-9s at high-altitudes close to the frontline for long periods. This is very much impossible considering Russia’s significant air defense capabilities. In addition, the drones require special maintenance and infrastructure that Ukraine will struggle to provide.
Kiev forces have already failed to properly deploy Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 combat drones, which are cheaper, smaller and harder to detect than the MQ-9. Over a hundred drones of this type were shot down or destroyed on the ground by the Russian military.
Ukraine’s request for MQ-9 drones highlights the unrealistic expectations of Kiev forces, which continue to believe that Western-made weapons are indestructible despite their repeated failures on the battlefield. While the U.S. appears to be well aware that the costly drones are not suitable for the Ukrainian battlefield and very much have no chance of surviving, they will likely supply them anyway, throwing more money into the fire pit.
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