— The U.S. Air Force is accelerating plans to replace the MQ-9A Reaper after losing at least 45 drones, roughly a quarter of the Pentagon’s inventory, during combat operations against Iran since February.The Air Force’s chief modernization officer said Reapers, which can cost up to $50 million depending on their payload, are being depleted at a “concerning” rate.
Now the Massed Modular Aircraft program is being pushed, aiming for a cheaper, more expendable drone costing around $10 million each.
The Air Force kicked off the effort in July and expects to eventually acquire at least 180 of the new aircraft, with officials targeting a prototype within a year and large-scale fielding within three years.
The design is expected to sacrifice some MQ-9 capabilities in exchange for lower costs, long range, modularity, and the ability to rapidly replace combat losses.
