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
More from Air Warfare
-
![Sophistication versus simplification: the divided future of air-to-air missiles]()
Sophistication versus simplification: the divided future of air-to-air missiles
As global air combat operations continue to evolve at a rate not seen for decades, what will the next generation of air-to-air weapons look like, and what missions will they need to fulfil?
-
![AUSA 2026: New multiwarhead loitering munition enters increasingly competitive market]()
AUSA 2026: New multiwarhead loitering munition enters increasingly competitive market
Heaviside Industries has unveiled its new Tyr loitering munition at AUSA 2026 in Washington, DC, joining a growing field of manufacturers seeking to capitalise on billions of dollars in anticipated military spending.
-
![Middle Eastern demand opens fresh export prospects for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jet]()
Middle Eastern demand opens fresh export prospects for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jet
A proposed Saudi Arabian purchase of 48 stealth fighters could signal a broader regional opportunity for the F-35 as European programmes mature.
-
![US military plans multi-UAV trials with Northrop Grumman quantum-navigated Lumberjack]()
US military plans multi-UAV trials with Northrop Grumman quantum-navigated Lumberjack
An undisclosed US military branch is preparing to evaluate multiple Lumberjack Group 3 drones equipped with SandboxAQ’s AQNav magnetic-navigation system. Shephard spoke with Northrop Grumman and SandboxAQ to find out more.
-
![Akinci: How Baykar turned the UAV into an African and Middle Eastern export success]()
Akinci: How Baykar turned the UAV into an African and Middle Eastern export success
From billion-dollar industrial partnerships in the Middle East to rapid military off-the-shelf deliveries in Africa, Baykar has tailored the Akinci to the needs of very different customers. Defence Insight data shows how flexibility, price and Turkish supply-chain independence have helped drive exports.
