WASHINGTON — The US Air Force has finalized requirements for a drone to replace the service’s General Atomics MQ-9A Reaper, and in the near term is looking to replenish combat losses of the aircraft, officials said Tuesday.
Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Airland subcommittee, Air Force Maj. Gen. Christopher Niemi said he “signed out” requirements on Monday for a new platform to replace the Reaper, which has been in service since 2007. The new unmanned aircraft, Niemi said, must consist of open architectures, be easily mass produced and have a higher tolerance for attrition — meaning that it would be cheaper per unit.
“The MQ-9 is serving us well over in the conflict that’s ongoing in the Middle East. But the MQ-9, depending on what sensors are on that, can cost up to $50 million a copy,” said Niemi, the military deputy for Air Force Futures. Niemi was recently nominated to become the service’s first chief modernization officer.
“So by getting something that’s more modular, we think we could take advantage of an opportunity — if you knew that aircraft was going to operate in a high-threat environment — of taking off those packages, that [would] drive that cost to a much lower price point,” Niemi added.
