The US Air Force plans to select vendors by the end of 2026 to develop concepts for cheap, attritable drones that can perform the MQ-9 Reaper mission of persistent intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and strike in a new way.
General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper
The US Air Force is preparing to stand up a new experimental unit designed to define how low-cost, one-way attack drones will be used in future conflicts against peer adversaries.
Some were born in the tense hush of the Cold War; others answer modern needs for persistent surveillance, signals collection, or electronic dominance.
India prepares to finalize a major deal with the US for 31 General Atomics MQ-9B Predator drones in October 2024.