MQ-9 Reaper retired? The US Air Force is focusing on new projects

By 2032, the United States Air Force (USAF) aims to have at least 500 advanced, semi-autonomous combat machines (Collaborative Combat Aircraft) operating alongside multi-role aircraft, among others. Meanwhile, by 2029, a similar number of low-cost combat-reconnaissance drones of the MMA (Massed Modular Aircraft) type are to enter service, intended to replace the MQ-9 Reaper (the United States has lost at least 45 aircraft of this type since the beginning of the war with Iran).

Information provided on the Air and Space Forces website indicates that the first versions of the CCA aircraft—namely the FQ-42A model from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and the FQ-44A from Anduril Industries—are currently „rolling off the assembly line” and will initially be used exclusively for air-to-air missions. It was also revealed that the FQ-42A is to be officially named „Vengeance,” while the FQ-44A will be called „Fury.” In the case of the CCA, the cost of a single unmanned aircraft of this type is expected to be $20 million. The cost of one MMA is approximately $10 million.

Dr. Troy E. Meink, the Secretary of the US Air Force, stated during the „Air, Space and Cyber Conference 2026” that the autonomous MMA and CCA drones described above have the potential to revolutionise the way the United States conducts warfare. He cited state-of-the-art U.S. Army platforms, such as the sixth-generation F-47 fighter and the B-21 Raider stealth bomber, stating that these „phenomenal aircraft” would not be able to provide the „massive combat power we need” without machines like the CCA and MMA.

„By combining manned aircraft with lower-cost autonomous systems, we will be able to unleash massive combat power on a large scale,” he concluded, adding that the US Air Force would also seek to introduce „tens of thousands” of missiles from the FAMM (Family of Affordable Mass Munition) family by 2030.