The U.S. Accelerates Development of Alternatives to the "Reaper" Drone

According to a report by Reference News on September 13, U.S. Air Force officials stated on September 3 that due to heavy losses of the MQ-9A "Reaper" drones in combat, the Air Force is unwilling to wait for their service life to end and will accelerate the development of more economical and durable alternatives.

Lieutenant General Christopher Nimmo, who oversees Air Force modernization, told reporters at the Pentagon that discussions are underway regarding the development of follow-on models as the "Reaper" drones gradually age.

According to Defense News, Nimmo said, "Although we still have many 'Reapers' now, the rate of attrition is concerning."

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has directed to accelerate the development timeline, and the goal of delivering 20 operational aircraft originally set for fiscal year 2031 may be achieved two years earlier.

Air Force officials, including Lieutenant General David Thibault, previously told the Senate Armed Services Committee's Airlift and Logistics Subcommittee that the number of "Reaper" drones has decreased to about 135, down 54 from the minimum configuration of 189.

A report updated by the Congressional Research Service on May 13 cited an article from April 9, stating that the U.S. has lost 24 "Reaper" drones since military operations against Iran began in February.

Nimmo signed a requirements document in May calling for the development of cheaper, modular, and mass-producible drones.

The project, named "Mass Modular Aircraft" (MMA), was launched on July 7 as a solicitation project by the Department of Defense's Defense Innovation Unit, with the Air Force as a partner. The project requires the development of a drone capable of performing strike, electronic warfare, and communication relay missions at the level of the "Reaper," with costs low enough to withstand combat losses. The solicitation also requires a payload of no less than 2,800 pounds (approximately 1.27 tons) and a one-way range of 8,000 nautical miles (approximately 14,800 kilometers).

Nimmo currently benchmarks the price of this drone against the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). Defense Daily reports that he has set the price of the CCA at around $20 million, while the MMA is priced at about half of that.

According to Defense News, an Air Force spokesperson stated that the aforementioned figures are only for the price of the aircraft itself and do not include the full price of a complete mission system. At the briefing on the 3rd, Nimmo mentioned that the Air Force may deploy at least 180 MMA drones.

Nimmo believes that the value of the "Reaper" does not lie in the airframe itself. He stated, "The uniqueness of the 'Reaper' drone is not related to the aircraft itself," and noted that its speed, altitude, and range are technologies from decades ago.

He said that the first batch of MMA will rely on mature existing technologies rather than entirely new systems to achieve the target price. He described it as a turboprop aircraft with a "4,000-mile (approximately 6,400 kilometers) class" and a high aspect ratio wing, capable of flying farther and having a heavier airframe than the CCA, but with a slower cruise speed.

General Atomics is actively promoting its drone design known as "Firefly." A company spokesperson, Mark Brinkley, recently told the War Zone channel that viewing the MMA as a replacement for the "Reaper" overlooks the urgent need for emergency supplemental equipment.

According to Defense News, Colonel Todd Day, a senior logistics officer in the Air Force's Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance division, stated that the contract for the concept refinement of the MMA is expected to be signed in the first quarter of fiscal year 2027. (Translated by Zhao Feifei)