An MQ-9A Reaper assigned to Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1) stages during an exercise at Yuma Proving Grounds, Arizona, April 4, 2026. (US Marine Corps photo by Sgt. DeMontae Stovall)
PARIS — The Pentagon is seeking a new hunter-killer drone similar to the MQ-9A Reaper that can be produced in high numbers at low costs within five years, according to a Defense Innovation Unit notice that comes after the US Reaper fleet suffered dozens of combat losses in the month-and-a-half war against Iran.
The notice, released today, said that a “reliance on low-density, high-value” aircraft is “unsustainable” against layered adversary air defenses, and that the US in response must deploy large numbers of drones designed “with the expectation that some will be lost in combat.”
A winning design of the envisioned “Massed Modular Aircraft” (MMA) is expected to fly as a full-scale prototype within 21 months of a contract award, and DIU is aiming to get the aircraft operational by fiscal 2031 — defined as 20 “mission-ready” drones on standby, according to the announcement.
The project comes amid considerable attrition of the General Atomics MQ-9A. Nearly 30 of the drones have reportedly been lost in combat in recent operations against Iran, and military officials have said the drone can cost as much as $50 million depending on its configuration. While they have defended the aircraft’s value, officials have said they need an alternative that’s cheaper and more modular.
