Poland has taken delivery of MQ-9A Reaper multi-mission, turboprop-powered intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) drones, according to the country’s Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak.
“MQ-9A Reaper MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) drones were delivered to Poland, leased from the USA as part of an urgent operational need,” the minister wrote on Twitter on Sunday.
He also noted that new drones will be used in the Air Force, conducting reconnaissance, among others, on the eastern border of Poland.
Poland has received Reaper drones as part of a lease agreement, which has a net value of $70.6 million, to enhance the nation’s ability to conduct persistent airborne ISR and support its Defense Forces.
Do Polski🇵🇱 dostarczone zostały drony MQ-9A Reaper klasy MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance), wyleasingowane od USA🇺🇸 w ramach pilnej potrzeby operacyjnej. Będą one służyć w 🇵🇱Siłach Powietrznych, prowadząc rozpoznanie m. in. na naszej wschodniej granicy. pic.twitter.com/eWunUzxhmG
— Mariusz Błaszczak (@mblaszczak) February 12, 2023
The Reaper is employed primarily as an intelligence-collection asset.It has an endurance of over 27 hours, speeds of 240 KTAS and can operate up to 50,000 feet. It has a 3,850-pound (1,746-kilogram) payload capacity that includes 3,000 pounds (1,361 kilograms) of external stores. It provides a long-endurance, persistent surveillance capability with Full-Motion Video and Synthetic Aperture Radar/Moving Target Indicator/Maritime Radar.
As noted by the company, an extremely reliable aircraft, MQ-9A Block 5 is equipped with a fault-tolerant flight control system and triple redundant avionics system architecture. It is engineered to meet and exceed manned aircraft reliability standards.