US drones await clearance to land at Lajes after Portugal seeks more information

Published on 26/03/2026 - 11:54 GMT+1

The communicative was first reported by SIC Notícias (source successful Portuguese) and reveals that the National Aeronautical Authority has requested further method accusation connected the MQ-9 Reaper drones that were owed to get astatine Lajes aerial basal during the week. According to the Portuguese broadcaster, clarifications person been requested from the US embassy successful Lisbon regarding the aircraft’s method specifications, the licences of the pilots who volition run them and the country designated for ditching successful lawsuit of an emergency.

Before heading to the Middle East, the drones are expected to get successful the Azores successful containers and past beryllium assembled astatine the subject base, SIC reports. Firefighters astatine Lajes are reported to person already received grooming connected however to respond to immoderate exigency involving these highly blase aircraft.

These drones were expected astatine Lajes Air Base (source successful Portuguese) astatine the commencement of the week, but present look to beryllium awaiting the requested clarifications.

The last determination rests with the Portuguese government, which has been nether aggravated scrutiny since the summation successful the US beingness astatine the Portuguese subject basal and the disposable build-up of resources there. In aboriginal March, Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel said the authorities had fixed ‘conditional authorisation’ to the US to usage Lajes.

Euronews sought clarification from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defence astir the situation. At the clip of publication, nary effect had been received.

'Killer drone'

The sanction leaves small country for doubt. The Reaper, christened arsenic specified by the US and UK aerial forces, could beryllium translated into Portuguese arsenic ‘Ceifador’ (as successful the ‘Grim Reaper’, the fashionable personification of decease successful Western culture), underlining the drone’s violative role.

These are weapons of war, designed to run arsenic reconnaissance craft portion besides being equipped with Hellfire missiles utilized to onslaught targets, making them cardinal assets successful an onslaught scenario.

The craft are manufactured by the US institution General Atomics Aeronautical, which describes them (source successful Portuguese) arsenic a ‘major evolutionary leap successful wide show and reliability’.

The MQ-9 Reaper is 11 metres agelong with a wingspan of up to 24 metres, comparable to a tiny commercialized airliner. According to the manufacturer, the MQ-9A has an endurance of much than 27 hours, tin alert astatine altitudes of up to 15,240 metres and tin transportation 1,361 kilograms of outer payload.

‘It provides a persistent, long-endurance surveillance and onslaught capableness for the warfighter,’ the institution says.

US loses respective Reapers successful warfare with Iran

Last week, a study successful the Wall Street Journal (source successful Portuguese) said much than 10 of these unmanned craft had been mislaid during the existent subject run against Iran.

The US regular reported that the drones had been changeable down by Iranian missiles oregon adjacent destroyed ‘by mistake’ by a Gulf ally.

The claims were confirmed to ABC News by 2 authoritative sources.

The US equipped forces are the main purchaser of this equipment, which tin outgo astir 40 cardinal dollars per unit.