Air Force Names 7 to Vie for New MMA Drone Program

Key Points:

• The Air Force and the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) have shortlisted seven companies—Anduril, Chaos Industries, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Grid Aero, Otto Aerospace, Shield AI, and Swarm Aero—to compete in developing low-cost, semi-autonomous drones to replace the MQ-9A Reaper.
• These companies were notified on September 30 and will now submit proposals to build prototypes for the Massed Modular Aircraft (MMA), with the Air Force aiming to field 500 MMAs by 2032.
• The MMA program seeks affordable drones capable of operating in large groups to overwhelm enemy defenses, with an expected cost of about $10 million per airframe, significantly lower than the $30 million-plus cost of current MQ-9B models.
• The solicitation follows the loss of dozens of MQ-9 drones in operations against Iran, highlighting the need for more attritable and cost-effective unmanned systems that can sustain high-risk missions.
• General Atomics and Swarm Aero have already presented new drone concepts, including General Atomics’ Wildfire and Swarm Aero’s Gamera, with plans to deliver prototypes within a year of contract award and field large-scale deployments by 2029.