Italian MQ-9A Reaper drone destroyed at Kuwait base in Iranian strike
March 16, 2026
The Italian Ministry of Defence has confirmed that an Italian Air Force MQ-9A Reaper drone has been destroyed on the ground at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait.
This comes after the US confirms three F-15E Strike Eagles were lost to friendly fire. Additionally, one to two KC-135 tankers have been lost to an in-air collision and being hit on the ground.
Italian MQ-9A Reaper drone destroyed in Iranian attack
Italy had deployed the Reaper drone to the Middle East to assist in efforts to counter ISIS in the region. According to Il Sole 24 Ore, bases where Italian soldiers are stationed in the Middle East have now been hit four times.
According to the Italian Ministry of Defense, the recent ballistic missile strike by the IRGC Aerospace Force on Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait resulted in the destruction of an Italian Air Force MQ-9A Reaper armed drone, which had been deployed there for anti-ISIL/DAESH… pic.twitter.com/cdYj7076At
— Babak Taghvaee – The Crisis Watch (@BabakTaghvaee1) March 15, 2026
Il Sole Ore wrote, “It is an MQ-9A ‘Predator’, used in the ‘Prima Parthica’ operation under the command of Air Force Colonel Marco Mangini. It was used for surveillance, reconnaissance, and intelligence-gathering missions in Coalition activities aimed at defeating ISIS.”
Fortunately, there have not been any Italian casualties in these strikes. Italians are deployed at Ali Al Salem in Kuwait and Camp Singara in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq.
A drone strike hit Ali al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait, destroying an Italian MQ-9A Predator surveillance drone worth about $30–35 million.
— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 15, 2026
The drone belonged to Italy’s Task Force Air and was used for intelligence and surveillance missions supporting the coalition against ISIS.… pic.twitter.com/lTLABAWD3S
Some suggested the Italian drone was mistaken by Iran for an American drone. Given that Iran has also targeted countries like Oman and Azerbaijan, Iranian elements (like the IRGC) might not be too concerned about who its owner is.
Kuwaiti Eurofighter Typhoons possibly destroyed at Ali Al Salem
Ali Al Salem has been the target of numerous Iranian strikes. On the 12th of March, open-source accounts using satellite imagery reported that Kuwait may have lost three Eurofighter Typhoons on the ground.
BREAKING: Three days ago, the IRGC Aerospace Force managed to target and destroy three Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets of the Kuwait Air Force at Ali Al-Salem Air Base. They mistook their maintenance hangars for hangars used by MQ-9A Reaper armed drones of the U.S. Air Force.… pic.twitter.com/ywStDiNwaA
— Babak Taghvaee – The Crisis Watch (@BabakTaghvaee1) March 12, 2026
Bakak Taghvaee posted, “Three days ago, the IRGC Aerospace Force managed to target and destroy three Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets of the Kuwait Air Force at Ali Al-Salem Air Base.”
He suggested that Iran may have mistook the maintenance hangars for hangars used by US Air Force MQ-9A Reaper drones. During the strike, the US had moved its Reapers to Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.
Kuwaiti Crown Jewels! A beautiful view of a Kuwait Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon. #Kuwait has 28 Eurofighters on order, comprising 22 single-seat and six dual-seat examples. At present six aircraft have been delivered to KAF and are operating in-country. 1/2 #avgeeks #news pic.twitter.com/QfYyUzFwOS
— Air Power (@RealAirPower1) January 13, 2023
Taghvaee also said that the Kuwait MOD will “never release anything” to confirm these losses and that unpublishable satellite imagery shows the hangars used by the Kuwaiti Eurofighters were hit.
Get the latest aerospace defence news here on AGN.
Numerous US Reapers and Israeli drones lost over Iran
So far into this conflict, it appears that the US and Israel have secured air dominance over much of Iran to the point that they can freely roam the skies not only with fighter jets and bombers, but also with Reaper and Hermes drones.
Updated: Operation Epic Fury – Documenting visually confirmed Equipment Losses during the 2026 Israel/USA – Iran War
— Elmustek (@elmustek) March 13, 2026
Link to Full list in Last Post. This List only includes visual confirmed losses. https://t.co/LoFCN3zp9v pic.twitter.com/piAhYtEGVi
Reaper drones are loitering over much of Iran, gathering intelligence and striking targets. However, they are also incredibly vulnerable and are easily shot down. The Houthis in Yemen are believed to have shot down perhaps a dozen or more over the last few years.
The Elbit Hermes 900 is a smaller and cheaper drone, somewhat analogous to the Reaper, although lower-end. Elumusk records that there are nine visually confirmed losses of these drones in Iran so far in this conflict. Israel has also lost at least four IAI Heron drones.
Elumusk also records that the US has lost at least four confirmed MQ-9 Reaper drones in the conflict. Two unknown UAVs have also been observed lost.
While MQ-9 Reaper losses are seemingly accepted by the US Air Force, they are not disposable aircraft. Depending on their configuration, they can cost around $30 million each, or around half of the fly-away cost of a new F-16 Fighting Falcon (excluding maintenance and other expenses).
Featured Image: DVIDS
