The landing of the MQ-9 Reapers at the Lajes Base was expected earlier this week, but it hasn't happened yet. Portugal has reportedly requested more technical information about the aircraft and is still waiting for a response.
The news was reported by SIC Notícias (source in Portuguese) and says that the National Aeronautical Authority has asked for more technical information on the MQ-9 Reapers drones that should have arrived at the Lajes base during the week. According to Portuguese television, clarification has been requested from the US embassy in Lisbon on the technical aspects of the aircraft, the certificates of the pilots who will operate them and the area planned for mooring in the event of an emergency.
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Before travelling to the Middle East, the drones will have to arrive in containers in the Azores and then be assembled at the military base, according to SIC. Firefighters in Lajes have already been trained to act in the event of an emergency, using these highly sophisticated devices.
These drones were expected at Lajes Base at the (source in Portuguese) beginning of the week, but they seem to be awaiting clarification.
The final decision rests with the Portuguese government, which has been under heavy scrutiny since the increase in the US presence at the Portuguese military base and the visible reinforcement of resources on site. At the beginning of March, Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel said that the government had given the US "conditional authorisation" to use Lajes.
Euronews tried to get clarification from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Defence on the situation. At the time of going to press, no reply had been received.
"Killer Drone"
The name leaves little room for doubt. The Reaper, baptised in this way by the US and UK air forces, can be translated as "Reaper" (as in the figure of the "Grim Reaper", the popular personification of death in Western culture), reflecting the drone's attack role.
They are weapons of war, designed to act as reconnaissance aircraft while being equipped with Hellfire missiles, used to hit targets, which makes them important allies in an attack scenario.
The equipment was produced by the US company General Atomics Aeronautical, which describes them (source in Portuguese)as a "major evolutionary leap in terms of overall performance and reliability".
The MQ-9 Reaper is 11 metres long and has a wingspan of up to 24 metres, the equivalent of a small commercial aircraft. According to the manufacturer, the MQ-9A has an autonomy of more than 27 hours, can fly up to 15,240 metres in altitude and can carry 1361 kilos of external cargo.
"It provides a persistent and long-range surveillance/attack capability for the fighter," the company says.
US loses several Reapers due to war with Iran
Last week, a report in the Wall Street Journal (source in Portuguese) pointed to the loss of more than ten of these unmanned devices during the current military campaign against Iran.
The US publication indicated that these aircraft had been shot down by Iranian missiles or even destroyed "by mistake" by an allied Gulf country.
The allegations were confirmed to ABC News by two official sources.
The US military is the main buyer of this equipment, which can cost around 40 million dollars per unit.