After heavy Reaper drone loses in Iran, Air Force accelerates affordable future replacement

The United States Air Force is accelerating work on a cheaper successor to the MQ-9A Reaper after heavy combat losses during operations against Iran. Officials are targeting an aircraft cost near $10 million, far below the roughly $30 million to $50 million price of a sensor- and weapon-equipped Reaper. At least 45 MQ-9s had reportedly been lost by mid-August, about a quarter of the available fleet. The emerging requirement favors affordable mass, broad mission adaptability and acceptable attrition rather than relying on a small number of expensive, highly protected aircraft.