이란 전쟁의 MVP는 MQ-9

[위종민]

케네스 윌스바흐 미 공참총장이 미 하원군사위 발언에서 이란 전쟁의 MVP로 MQ-9을 꼽았네요. 

MQ-9이 가장 많은 타격 임무를 수행했고, 무인기라 조종사가 위험에 빠지지 않으며, 이동 표적에 대한 타격 뿐만 아니라 타 플랫폼에 정보를 제공하기도 했다고 합니다. 현재 미 공군은 MQ-9를 135기 보유중이고, 이란전쟁에서 거의 30기, 후티 반군에게 12기 가량 격추돼 추가로 발주했네요. 

CCA나 LUCAS 1회용 공격드론은 스스로 표적을 탐지, 식별하고 킬체인을 수행할 수 있는 센서세트가 없지만, MQ-9은 다양한 센서를 탑재해 단일 기체만으로도 킬체인을 돌릴 수 있다는 게 장점이라고 합니다. 

공군참모총장: MQ-9 리퍼, 손실에도 불구하고 이란 전쟁의 ‘최우수 선수’

Chris Gordon
2026년 5월 20일

2026년 5월 20일, 미 공군참모총장 케네스 S. 윌즈바흐 장군은 이란을 상대로 한 ‘오퍼레이션 에픽 퓨리(Operation Epic Fury)’에서 미 공군 MQ-9 리퍼 드론이 가장 두드러진 플랫폼이었다고 밝혔다.

윌즈바흐는 하원 군사위원회에서 공군의 미래 무인·자율 시스템 계획에 대한 마이크 로저스(앨라배마·공화당) 의원의 질문에 답하며 “에픽 퓨리에서 아마도 가장 가치 있는 선수는 유인기가 아니라 MQ-9이었다”고 말했다.

이는 공군이 향후 수년 내 퇴역시키려 해왔던 플랫폼에 대해 전투기 조종사 출신인 윌즈바흐가 강한 지지를 보낸 것이다.

윌즈바흐는 “우리는 리퍼로 매우 많은 타격을 수행했다”고 말했지만 정확한 수치는 공개하지 않았다. 미군 전체는 2월 말부터 4월 초 휴전이 성립될 때까지 6주간의 격렬한 전투 동안 이란 내 13,000개 이상의 목표물을 타격했다.

F-15E, F-16, F-22, F-35, A-10, B-52, B-1, B-2 등 공군이 보유한 거의 모든 종류의 전투기와 폭격기가 이란 공격에 투입됐다. 그러나 윌즈바흐는 오랫동안 사용돼 온 리퍼가 이번 분쟁의 숨은 영웅이었다고 말했다. 그는 “이란에 대한 타격 횟수 면에서 MQ-9에 근접하는 플랫폼은 없다”며, 원격으로 조종되는 이 항공기는 조종사를 위험에 노출시키지 않고도 작전을 수행했다고 설명했다.

그러나 이란에 대한 집중적인 운용에는 대가도 따랐다. 사안에 정통한 관계자들은 Air & Space Forces Magazine에 이란 작전 중 거의 30대에 달하는 MQ-9 리퍼가 손실됐다고 전했다. 많은 기체가 방공망에 의해 격추됐고, 일부는 지역 기지에 배치된 상태에서 지상 공격을 받았다. 이란은 역내 미군 기지들을 지속적으로 표적으로 삼아왔다.

윌즈바흐는 “무인 플랫폼이기 때문에 상당한 효용을 얻으면서도 우리 인력을 위험에 빠뜨리지 않는다”고 말했다.

리퍼는 현재도 이란을 상대로 한 작전에 계속 사용되고 있다.

관계자들에 따르면 MQ-9은 호르무즈 해협 일대에서 미국의 이란 항만 봉쇄 작전을 집행하기 위해 활동 중이다. 리퍼는 무장 외에도 레이더, 센서, 카메라 탑재물을 운용할 수 있다. 데이터 링크를 통해 전 세계 어디서든 원격 조종이 가능하며, 데이터를 조종사와 지휘관들에게 전송할 수 있다.

MQ-9의 광범위한 운용에 대한 윌즈바흐의 발언은 해당 기체들이 상당한 시간 동안 고위협 지역에서 작전했음을 시사한다. 다만 미군은 오퍼레이션 에픽 퓨리 동안 수행된 출격 임무를 세부적으로 공개하지 않았다. 미 중부사령부 또한 리퍼가 이란을 상대로 수행하는 구체적 역할에 대한 언급을 거부했다.

관계자들에 따르면 공중전이 가장 치열했던 시기, 리퍼는 한 번에 약 12개의 궤도 비행 임무를 이란 상공에서 수행했으며, 미사일 및 드론 발사기, 항공기, 이동식 시스템 같은 “동적 표적(dynamic targets)”을 타격하거나 다른 플랫폼에 정보를 제공하는 데 집중했다.

합동참모본부 의장 댄 케인 공군 대장은 휴전 이후 진행된 작전 설명에서 미군이 이란 내 약 13,000개 목표물을 타격했으며, 여기에는 “전장에 새롭게 나타났다가 즉시 처리된 4,000개 이상의 동적 표적”이 포함됐다고 밝혔다. 다만 어떤 플랫폼이 해당 작전에 사용됐는지는 언급하지 않았다.

MQ-9은 지난달 격추된 F-15E 스트라이크 이글의 무장체계장교를 보호하는 임무에도 사용됐다. Air & Space Forces Magazine의 이전 보도에 따르면 리퍼는 조종사에게 위협이 될 수 있다고 판단된 이란 군사 연령대 남성들이 3km 이내로 접근하자 이들을 타격했다.

24시간 이상 체공 가능한 저속 비행 리퍼는 때때로 이란 방공망에 취약한 모습을 보였다. 미국은 해당 방공망 대부분을 파괴했다고 주장하고 있지만, 이란은 F-15E와 A-10 썬더볼트 II를 격추했고, 미 공군 F-35 라이트닝 II에도 손상을 입혔다. 이란은 미국 항공기들에게 이란과 예멘 상공에서 지속적인 문제를 일으킨 적외선 탐지 시스템도 보유하고 있으며, 이는 탐지가 더 어렵다.

전직 F-16·MQ-9 조종사이자 핵심 MQ-9 부대인 제732작전단 지휘관을 지낸 퇴역 준장 휴스턴 캔트웰은 “중요한 미지의 요소가 있다. MQ-9이 유인기와 비교해 이란 미사일 위협권 내에서 얼마나 자주 궤도 비행 임무를 수행하고 있는가?”라고 말했다. 그는 “유인기든 무인기든 이동식 미사일 발사대를 탐색하기 위해 목표 지역 상공을 배회할 경우 매우 취약하다”고 지적했다.

최근 몇 년간 예멘의 이란 지원 후티 반군도 최소 12대 이상의 리퍼를 격추시켰다. 그러나 이란 및 후티와의 전투에서 발생한 손실은 오히려 공군이 더 많은 리퍼를 구매하기로 결정하게 만들었으며, 미군은 올해 의회에 추가 기체 구매 예산을 요청할 예정이다. 한 공군 고위 관계자는 공군이 현재 생산이 종료된 제너럴 아토믹스의 MQ-9A 잔여 물량 확보를 추진 중이라고 의회에 밝혔다. 공군이 마지막으로 구매한 MQ-9의 가격은 기체당 1,600만 달러였다.

5월 13일 상원 군사위원회 공군·지상전 소위원회 청문회에서 공군 계획·프로그램 담당 부참모장 데이비드 테이버 중장은 “우리는 이들의 소모 상황에 우려를 가지고 있다”며 “가능한 한 많은 MQ-9A를 즉시 다시 확보하는 방안을 검토하고 있다. 따라서 단기적으로는 이번 회계연도 안에 즉각 확보하는 노력이 진행 중”이라고 말했다.

공식 수치에 따르면 2025년 말 기준 현역 공군은 158대의 MQ-9과 공군주방위군 소속 24대를 보유하고 있었다. 그러나 테이버는 지난주 현재 미 공군 MQ-9 보유 수량이 약 135대라고 밝혔으며, 현역과 주방위군 구분은 공개하지 않았다.

트로이 마인크 공군장관은 5월 20일 “우리는 MQ-9을 퇴역시키지 않고 있다”며 “손실이 일부 있었고 이를 메우기 위해 노력 중이지만, 동시에 MQ-9 후속 기체가 무엇이 될지도 검토하고 있다. 아마 단일 플랫폼이 아니라 여러 플랫폼이 될 가능성이 높다”고 말했다.

제너럴 아토믹스 대변인 C. 마크 브링클리는 회사가 공군에 제공할 수 있는 신규 또는 자사 보유 MQ-9A가 10대 미만이라고 밝혔다. 그는 또한 퇴역한 리퍼 중 일부는 재정비를 거쳐 재사용 가능하다고 설명했다. 애리조나 데이비스-몬선 공군기지의 ‘보니야드’에도 일부 MQ-9A가 보관돼 있다.

이 이상의 전력 확대는 원형 리퍼의 대형 후속기인 MQ-9B 구매로 이어질 가능성이 높다. 표준형 MQ-9B 가격은 약 3,000만 달러지만, 장비 구성에 따라 가격은 더 낮아질 수 있다.

브링클리는 오퍼레이션 에픽 퓨리에서의 MQ-9A 운용에 대해 “고도의 경쟁 환경에서는 효과가 없을 것이라는 모든 피로한 예측들은 단순히 틀렸다”며 “사람들이 불가능하다고 말하는 동안 리퍼는 실제로 임무를 수행하고 있었다”고 말했다.

그는 또한 “우리는 모든 교훈을 더 나은 제품, 향상된 생존성, 강화된 치명성으로 다시 반영하고 있다”고 덧붙였다.

공군 관계자들은 이전에 MQ-9 후속 플랫폼에 대해 산업계로부터 강한 관심을 받고 있다고 밝힌 바 있다. 이는 공군이 곧 배치할 예정인 무인 ‘충성스러운 윙맨(loyal wingman)’ 전투기 개념의 협동전투항공기(CCA)와는 별개의 사업이다. CENTCOM은 또한 이란을 상대로 LUCAS 일회용 공격 드론도 운용했다. 그러나 공군과 국방부가 새로운 드론들을 탐색하는 와중에도 MQ-9은 여전히 가치 있는 플랫폼으로 평가된다.

캔트웰은 “LUCAS나 초기형 CCA는 아직 스스로 표적을 탐지·식별하고 전체 킬체인을 수행할 수 있는 광범위한 센서 세트를 갖추고 있지 않다”며 “MQ-9은 전자정보 수집 포드와 풀모션 비디오 센서를 포함한 센서 집합을 탑재하고 있어 단일 기체만으로도 킬체인을 완결하는 데 도움을 준다”고 설명했다.

Wilsbach: MQ-9 'Most Valuable Player' of Iran War Despite Losses

A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper sits on the flightline during a forward area refueling and rearming point operation at an undisclosed location within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Gerald R. Willis

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Air Force Chief: MQ-9 Reaper ‘Most Valuable Player’ of Iran War Despite Losses

May 20, 2026 | By Chris Gordon

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U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drones have been the standout platform in Operation Epic Fury against Iran, Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach said May 20.

“For Epic Fury, perhaps the most valuable player was unmanned: the MQ-9,” Wilsbach told the House Armed Services Committee, responding to a question from Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) on the Air Force’s plans for future unmanned and autonomous systems.

It was a strong endorsement by Wilsbach, a career fighter pilot, for a platform the Air Force has been looking to retire in the coming years.

“We’ve made many, many strikes,” with Reapers, said Wilsbach, who declined to give a precise number. The U.S. military as a whole hit more than 13,000 targets in Iran during the six weeks of heavy fighting from late February to early April, when a ceasefire took hold.

Nearly every type of fighter and bomber in the Air Force’s inventory has been employed against Iran—F-15Es, F-16s, F-22s, F-35s, A-10s, B-52s, B-1s, and B-2s. But it is the stalwart Reaper that Wilsbach said has been an unsung hero of the conflict. “No other platform is even close to the MQ-9” in terms of the number of strikes against Iran, Wilsbach said, and it has done so without putting its pilots, who remotely operate the aircraft, in danger.

The aircraft’s heavy use against Iran has come at a cost. Nearly 30 MQ-9 Reapers have been lost in operations against Iran, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine. Many aircraft were lost to air defenses, though some MQ-9s based in the region were struck while on the ground. Iran has targeted U.S. bases throughout the region.

“It’s an unmanned platform, so we get a lot of utility out of them, and don’t put our folks at risk,” Wilsbach said.

Reapers continue to be used in operations against Iran.

MQ-9s are active around the Strait of Hormuz to enforce the ongoing U.S. military blockade against Iranian ports, according to people familiar with the operations. In addition to weapons, Reapers can carry a payload of radars, sensors, and cameras. Data links allow Reapers to be operated from around the world and transmit data back to their operators and commanders.

Wilsbach’s comments about the extensive use of MQ-9s suggest the aircraft have likely spent a large portion of their time in higher-threat areas, though the U.S. military has declined to break down sorties flown during Operation Epic Fury in detail. U.S. Central Command has also declined to comment on the specific roles Reapers are playing against Iran.

In the heat of the air war, Reapers flew around a dozen orbits over Iran at a time, focused on striking or providing intelligence to other platforms to hit so-called “dynamic targets,” such as missile and drone launchers, aircraft, and mobile systems, people familiar with the matter said.

The roughly 13,000 targets struck in Iran by the U.S. included “more than 4,000 dynamic targets that popped up on the battlefield and were immediately addressed,” according to an account of the campaign following the ceasefire given by Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, who did not specify which platforms were used in those actions.

MQ-9s also protected the weapons system officer of a downed F-15E Strike Eagle last month by striking Iranian military-aged males believed to be a threat who got within three kilometers of the Airman, Air & Space Forces Magazine previously reported.

The slow-flying Reaper, which can remain aloft for over 24 hours, has at times been vulnerable to Iranian air defenses. While the U.S. claims to have largely destroyed those defenses, Iran has managed to shoot down an F-15E and an A-10 Thunderbolt II, and damage a U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning II. Iran possesses infrared systems that have proved vexing to American aircraft over Iran and Yemen, which are harder to detect.

“There’s an important unknown out there. How often are MQ-9s orbiting in Iranian missile threat rings compared to manned aircraft?” observed retired Brig. Gen. Houston Cantwell, a former F-16 and MQ-9 pilot and former commander of the 732nd Operations Group, a key MQ-9 unit. “Any aircraft, manned or unmanned, is very vulnerable while loitering over a target area searching for mobile missile launchers.”

In the past few years, Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen have also shot down at least a dozen Reapers, adding to the losses. But losses against Iran and the Houthis have led the Air Force to decide to buy more Reapers, and the U.S. military will seek funding from Congress this year to purchase more aircraft. A senior Air Force official told Congress the service is seeking to procure some remaining MQ-9As, which are no longer in production by maker General Atomics. The last MQ-9s purchased by the Air Force cost $16 million a piece.

“We are concerned about how they’ve attrited,” said Lt. Gen. David Tabor, Air Force deputy chief of staff for plans and programs, on May 13, testifying before the Senate Armed Services air-land subcommittee. “We’re looking at options to buy back as many of the MQ-9As as we possibly can right now, so there’s a bit of a short-term effort to buy back things immediately, in this fiscal year.”

Official figures show the Active-Duty Air Force had 158 MQ-9s and 24 more in the Air National Guard at the end of 2025. Tabor told the committee last week that the USAF MQ-9 fleet now numbers about 135, a number which he did not break down by Active and Guard components.

“We are not divesting the MQ-9,” Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink said May 20. “We have had some losses in that aircraft, and we’re working to fill those losses, but in parallel, we are looking at what is the follow-on to the MQ-9 aircraft. It’s probably going to be not one platform, it’ll probably be multiple platforms.”

General Atomics spokesperson C. Mark Brinkley said the firm has less than 10 new or company-owned MQ-9As to offer to the Air Force. He also noted that there are a number of decommissioned Reapers that could be brought back online and refurbished by the company. There are also some MQ-9As in the Boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.

Boosting Reaper inventory beyond that would likely entail buying MQ-9Bs, the larger successor to the original Reaper. A standard MQ-9B costs around $30 million, but the price could be lower depending on how the aircraft is kitted out.

“All of these tired predictions about ineffectiveness in a highly contested environment were simply wrong,” Brinkley said of the MQ-9A’s use of Operation Epic Fury. “While people were saying it couldn’t be done, Reaper was out there doing it.”

“We’re taking all of these lessons learned and pouring them back into better products, increased survivability, and enhanced lethality,” Brinkley added of the MQ-9B.

Air Force officials previously said they had received strong interest from industry in a follow-on platform for the MQ-9, which will be distinct from the Collaborative Combat Aircraft unmanned “loyal wingman” fighters the service will soon begin fielding. CENTCOM has also employed LUCAS one-way attack drones against Iran. But the MQ-9 is valuable even as the Air Force and Pentagon explore newer drones.

Drones such as LUCAS and the first batch of CCA do not yet have “extensive sets of sensors able to find, fix, and run through the entire kill chain by themselves,” said Cantwell, a senior resident fellow at AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. “The MQ-9 carries a suite of sensors, including pods collecting electronic intelligence and a full motion video sensor, all facilitating closing the kill chain on one aircraft.”

[백선호]

“유인기든 무인기든 이동식 미사일 발사대를 탐색하기 위해 목표 지역 상공을 배회할 경우 매우 취약하다” ---> F-15E도 이러다 당한 모양이네요.

[위종민]

TEL 사냥 수단으로 유인기, 항모전단 + 함재기 등등 여러 대안이 제시됐었습니다만, 장시간 체공 가능한 UAV가 모범답안이 된 것 같네요.