The Pentagon's technology incubator is looking for a low-cost successor to the MQ-9A

The Pentagon’s technology incubator, via the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), has issued a solicitation for a low-cost successor concept to the General Atomics MQ-9A Reaper. The “Massed Modular Aircraft” tender envisions an uncrewed system intended to be produced in large quantities at an attritable cost for combat. DIU frames it as a “risk-tolerant option” designed to counter layered air defenses that make reliance on scarce “exquisite” aircraft unsustainable. The article notes that at least 24 MQ-9As were lost during heavy fighting of the U.S.-Israeli air campaign over Iran between February and April. While USAF chief Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach called the platform the “most valuable player,” he also cited vulnerability and difficulty replacing lost airframes. General Atomics shuttered MQ-9A production in 2025 due to lack of new U.S. orders, and MQ-9B SkyGuardian is assembled at around $30 million. The MMA concept seeks higher production rates and is not aimed primarily at survivability; it instead targets overwhelm through massed groups despite losses. The tender specifies at least 1,270 kg payload and an unrefueled combat radius of at least 2,300 nm with payload, plus one-way self-deployment of at least 8,000 nm, and multi-sensor payload capability including full-motion video.