U.S. government approves Italy's request to arm its drones

By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department has approved a longstanding request from Italy to arm its two MQ-9 Reaper drones with Hellfire missiles, laser-guided bombs and other munitions, the U.S. Defense Department announced on Wednesday. This would be the first effective sale of armed drones approved since the U.S. government established a policy in February for exports of the new type of weapons that have played a key role in U.S. military actions in Afghanistan, Iraq a