Iranian-backed Group Shoots Down US Air Force Reaper In Iraq – Do Counter-Measures Keep “Non-Stealthy” Reaper Safe?

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

The Iranian-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq claims to have shot down a US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper Drone flying in Iraq, a development which may lead to further US escalation against Iranian-supported groups throughout the Middle East who continue to attack US and allied targets.

A published photo of the drone wreckage was shown by the resistance group, which claimed it shot down the MQ-9 over Diyala Province with a surface-to-air-missile, as described by Air & Space Magazine. The drone, which was recovered by Iraqi Security Forces, crashed near Balad Air Base in Iraq.

Reaper Vulnerability?

While details related to the apparent attack, the weapons used and Reaper mission are not likely to be available for security reasons, forensic analysis will likely determine the kind of weapon used with great accuracy. The attack underscores a long-standing debate which has been taking place within the Air Force community related to the growing vulnerability of large, non-stealthy drones in higher threat environments. Is the Reaper, and other less-stealthy medium altitude drones, simply too vulnerable for many operational environments?

The question has gotten a lot of attention, and while the existing upgraded Reaper will remain critically relevant in lower-threat environments or areas wherein the US Air Force has air supremacy, the drone may not be survivable enough to successfully surge into the future.

The prevailing consensus among senior Air Force weapons developers has been to preserve, sustain and massively upgrade the Reaper for future operations and threat environments, perhaps given the extent to which the Reaper was effective in the War on Terror and War against ISIS. In environments where there is not a threat of Reapers being shot down by air defenses, the platform seems to still add potentially unparalleled operational value.

Also, in an effort to preserve the Reaper and sustain its relevance in higher threat areas, the US Air Force has been shifting tactics to a certain degree. In response to the last time a US Air Force drone was claimed to be shot down by Iranian air defenses. In 2019, a US RQ-4A Global Hawk was shot down and destroyed by Iranian air defenses over the Strait of Hormuz, a development which suggested Iranian weapons had the accuracy and range to target and destroy higher-flying medium-altitude surveillance drones such as the Global Hawk.