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US Air Force speeds Reaper successor timeline after Iran losses
Military Times • • world
Key Points:
- The U.S. Air Force is accelerating development of a cheaper, more expendable successor to the MQ-9A Reaper due to combat losses and aging of the current drone fleet, aiming to field the new system earlier than the previously planned fiscal 2031 target.
- The new program, called Massed Modular Aircraft (MMA), seeks a modular, mass-producible drone capable of strike, ISR, electronic warfare, and communications-relay missions, with a payload of at least 2,800 pounds and an 8,000-nautical-mile ferry range.
- MMA drones are expected to cost about half as much as the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), with air vehicle prices near $10 million compared to $20 million for CCA, enabling the Air Force to potentially field at least 180 MMA units.
- General Atomics is bidding a design named Wildfire for the MMA program, claiming it meets or exceeds requirements and can be delivered years earlier than current schedules, though the company has not disclosed details or images.
- Awards for MMA concept refinement are anticipated in the first quarter of fiscal 2027, with officials emphasizing that the MQ-9's value lies in its systems rather than the airframe, which is based on decades-old technology.
