Software upgrade to French Reaper UAVs allows for operations over home territory
France is installing a software upgrade on its Block 5 Reapers. (Photo: French Air Force)
France has completed trials of a software upgrade to a General Atomics Reaper Block 5 UAV which allows the country’s fleet of aircraft to operate from French bases and over French territory.
The 2408 software version allows for the implementation of new armament and communications-intelligence capabilities. The trials were carried out by the country’s military aviation expertise centre as well as the DGA Flight Test Center of Expertise and Test and were supported by the French Air and Space Force.
The test flights were accompanied by two Dassault Rafale multirole fighter jets and it is expected all French Reapers will be upgraded to the v2408 software by the end of 2023. Importantly, the upgrade will allow the aircraft to operate from and over French territory as well as train on French soil with limited constraints.
The first French Block 5 aircraft was delivered in January 2020 but remained inactive because it lacked flight clearance from the defence procurement agency DGA. It was not until March that the first flight of a Block 5 Reaper occurred, with the first operational mission being conducted in May 2021.
Related Articles
General Atomics to work on French Reapers
French Reapers prepare to add hitting power in Africa
US approves MQ-9 Reaper follow-on support sale to France
France has deployed its armed Reapers to Niger and it was reported in May last year that a Block 1 variant crashed as it was preparing to land at Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey. It was diverted away from the airport. Five years earlier another French reaper crashed in Niger after operations in Mali.
In August 2021 France’s Ministry of Armed Forces reported that a French Block 5 Reaper dropped a GBU-12 laser-guided bomb for the first time in the Sahel region as part of Operation Barkhane.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
You may also like
More from Air Warfare
-
![What does the FY2027 US budget signal for the country’s future airpower plans?]()
What does the FY2027 US budget signal for the country’s future airpower plans?
The record-breaking defence budget request focuses on bolstering some core next-generation aircraft programmes across each domain, although questions remain on the US's commitment to some key defence programmes.
-
![Can UK interceptor efforts keep pace with the rising drone threat?]()
Can UK interceptor efforts keep pace with the rising drone threat?
The recent acquisition announcement for Cambridge Aerospace’s Skyhammer solution is a key step in the UK’s efforts to bolster its counter-UAS capabilities, but more still needs to be done to tackle even smaller drone threats.
-
![Saab Gripen E/F: the multirole fighter that’s seeing a resurgence (updated 2026)]()
Saab Gripen E/F: the multirole fighter that’s seeing a resurgence (updated 2026)
The single-engine multirole fighter jet is seeing heightened demand with a sizeable orderbook and expanding export potential, as Shephard summarises the aircraft’s latest orders and developments.
-
![France earmarks further $11.6 billion for missiles and drones amid rearmament push]()
France earmarks further $11.6 billion for missiles and drones amid rearmament push
The revised funding allocation will see up to 23% of the additional budget put towards stockpiles of munitions, with the country’s GDP spending expected to reach 2.5% by 2030.
-
![First GCAP contract marks milestone for Edgewing, while UK waits on further funding]()
First GCAP contract marks milestone for Edgewing, while UK waits on further funding
The design and development contract is set to run until the end of June and will now enable the partnership to drive the programme forward as it targets its 2027 demonstrator date.
