Details of the go-ahead, not yet ratified by Congress, of the US State Department to arm the men begin to leak Reaper Italian. The agreement provides for an initial 130 million dollar contract with General Atomics as prime contractor.
The sales proposal includes 156 missiles AGM-114R2 Hellfire II built by Lockheed Martin, 20 GBU-12 (laser guided bombs), 30 GBU-38 JDAM and other weapon systems. The six Italian "Reapers" (just under eleven million dollars per specimen) have been deployed this year in Sigonella, Sicily, the "hub" of the Mediterranean. On the same basis, the USA also risked i Global Hawk in support of intelligence operations in the Mediterranean and North Africa.
The Italian UAVs of Sigonella carry out reconnaissance missions also to counter the phenomenon of illegal immigration. Italian drones that have also carried out operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Balkans and Libya. We know that in Kuwait, Italy has deployed two UAVs in reconnaissance missions.
Italy is the second country, after Great Britain, which will be equipped with role drones hunter killer. The Italian request to arm the MQ-9 Reaper drones (purchased in the 2009) was formulated in the 2012. Turkey has also made this request. Congress has 15 days to block the sale, but it is a remote possibility.
The role of Reaper Italians, probably, should limit themselves to the armed support of the contingents deployed abroad under the aegis of NATO. The Italian government, unlike the British and Americans, has not yet authorized the missions of targeting leader. However, Italy will now have to implement a widespread intelligence network that can determine sensitive targets. A capacity, already questioned in the 2012 by the US Senate Intelligence Commission, in an exchange of letters between Hillary Clinton, then Secretary of State and Dianne Feinstein. The latter was in fact the head of the commission that expressed doubts about the Italian ability to have such a weapon system.
(photo: US Air Force / Slider General Atomics)
