After losing about $1 billion in Reaper drones over Iran, the US wants a disposable alternative

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Ripple effect: The US campaign against Iran is estimated by one tracker to have cost over $113 billion, a figure that includes the loss of dozens of Reaper drones collectively worth about $1 billion. This has led to the Pentagon looking for cheaper hunter-killer drones that can be sacrificed without massive financial implications.

The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), the Pentagon organization that pulls commercial tech into the military, has opened submissions for a project called Massed Modular Aircraft (MMA).

The plan is that the US wants a theater-range drone that is cheaper, modular, and built around the expectation that some will be lost.