France tests MQ-9 Reaper for drone intercept role

France’s Air and Space Force has successfully carried out its first anti-drone missile test from an MQ-9 Reaper, using a Hellfire missile to engage an aerial drone target.

The test took place on April 2 at the military range on Île du Levant in southern France, the service said in a statement released Wednesday. Conducted with support from France’s defense procurement agency and the military’s air warfare expertise center, the trial involved firing a Hellfire missile from a French-operated MQ-9 Reaper at an airborne drone target.

The successful firing gives the French Air and Space Force a new counter-drone capability for its Reaper fleet, just three months after the Hellfire missile entered service. That relatively short timeline points to how quickly the service has moved to adapt one of its key unmanned aircraft to a fast-changing threat environment.

Until now, the MQ-9 Reaper has been primarily used for surveillance, reconnaissance, and precision strikes against ground targets. With this test, France has added a new mission: intercepting drones at low and medium altitudes while the aircraft remains on station for extended periods.

That makes the Reaper more than a surveillance platform. Its long endurance allows it to patrol sensitive areas for hours, while its onboard sensors and ground crew can track potential threats in real time. Now, it can also engage those threats directly.

The capability was developed through work by crews from the 33rd Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Attack Wing working within the Weapons School of the Centre d’expertise aérienne militaire. The Air and Space Force described the effort as part of its wider push to strengthen layered air defense.

In practice, that means the Reaper now joins other French counter-drone assets that already include Rafale fighter jets, Fennec helicopters, and ground-based air defense systems. Future anti-drone drones are also expected to become part of that network.

The MQ-9’s ability to remain airborne for long periods gives it a different role from manned aircraft. Rather than launching short-duration intercept missions, the Reaper can provide persistent coverage over military sites, critical infrastructure, or deployed units, then respond if a drone enters the protected area.

The aircraft is operated from the ground by a four-person crew: a pilot, sensor operator, intelligence officer, and image analyst. That setup allows the team to monitor the area continuously and make tactical decisions based on live imagery and sensor feeds.

The Hellfire missile has long been used as a precision strike weapon from helicopters and drones, but this test shows how existing munitions are being adapted to counter aerial drone threats as they become more common in modern warfare.

For the Reaper, the new mission adds an air defense role to an aircraft already valued for its persistence and intelligence-gathering capabilities. The result is a platform that can watch, identify, and now strike hostile drones without requiring a separate interceptor to be launched.