# US military MQ-9 Reaper replacement efforts

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/us-military-mq-9-reaper-replacement-efforts
> Updated: 2026-09-10T02:22:20.000Z. Sources: 12. Developments: 3.

The United States military is seeking to replace the MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial system with more cost-effective, modular alternatives following significant fleet attrition in recent conflicts.

General Atomics has unveiled the first renderings of its ‘Wildfire’ drone, a medium-altitude, long-endurance combat aircraft designed for the Defense Innovation Unit’s Massed Modular Aircraft (MMA) program. The platform is intended to support semi-autonomous swarm operations and distributed, networked environments using low-earth orbit satellite communications. To support strike missions, the Wildfire can carry either four Joint Strike Missiles (JSM) or two AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles (LRASM).

Parallel to these developments, the US Air Force is pursuing the Mass Modular Air Vehicle (MMA) initiative. The service aims for a unit cost of approximately $10 million per vehicle—a substantial reduction from the $30 million to $50 million cost of the MQ-9 Reaper. The Wildfire is designed to meet these requirements with a minimum airspeed of 200 knots, a payload capacity of at least 2,800 pounds, and a combat radius of at least 2,300 nautical miles. Additionally, the aircraft is intended to have a ferry range exceeding 8,000 nautical miles. The Air Force is looking to accelerate its acquisition timeline, potentially aiming for initial operational capability two years earlier than previously planned.

## Timeline

### 2026-09-10: General Atomics unveils Wildfire drone to succeed MQ-9 Reaper

General Atomics revealed the Wildfire drone, a low-cost, long-range modular combat aircraft designed to succeed the MQ-9 Reaper under the U.S. Massed Modular Aircraft program.

7 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/general-atomics-unveils-wildfire-drone-to-succeed-mq-9-reaper

### 2026-09-04: US Air Force seeks $10 million drone to replace MQ-9 Reaper

The US Air Force is developing the Mass Modular Air Vehicle (MMA), a $10 million drone intended to replace the MQ-9 Reaper with a more affordable and resilient platform for ISR and strike missions.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/us-air-force-seeks-10-million-drone-to-replace-mq-9-reaper

### 2026-08-21: General Atomics unveils Wildfire drone to replace MQ-9 Reaper

General Atomics unveiled the Wildfire drone, a lower-cost, mass-producible replacement for the MQ-9 Reaper following significant fleet losses in recent military operations.

4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/general-atomics-unveils-wildfire-drone-to-replace-mq-9-reaper

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Cite as: US military MQ-9 Reaper replacement efforts. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/us-military-mq-9-reaper-replacement-efforts