The US Air Force is exploring a new class of lower-cost, expendable unmanned aircraft intended to replace some of the missions currently handled by the MQ-9 Reaper. Known as the Massed Modular Aircraft, or MMA, the proposed system is expected to have a target air-vehicle cost of around $10 million, considerably below the price of a fully equipped MQ-9. The service is reportedly considering a fleet of at least 180 aircraft. The push for a cheaper platform has been driven in part by combat losses. Reports indicate that 45 MQ-9 Reapers were lost during the Iran war, representing roughly one-quarter of the fleet and more than $1 billion in equipment. With Reaper production having ended in 2025, the Air Force has been forced to consider an alternative that can operate in environments where attrition is expected. Air Force Lieutenant General Christopher Niemi described the rate of Reaper losses as concerning, highlighting the urgency behind discussions about a successor. The MMA is intended to perform many of the missions currently assigned to the MQ-9, including persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, targeting and strike operations. The key difference would be affordability. Rather than relying on a small number of expensive aircraft, the Air Force wants to field larger numbers of cheaper platforms. This massed concept would allow the force to continue missions even if several aircraft were destroyed by enemy action. The $10 million target, however, should not be interpreted as the complete cost of an operational aircraft. The figure is intended for the air vehicle itself and does not necessarily include sensors, weapons, communications systems or other mission equipment. Depending on the configuration, those systems could add hundreds of thousands or several million dollars to the final price. A fully equipped MQ-9A can cost roughly $30–50 million depending on its sensors, weapons and configuration. The MMA concept therefore represents a shift away from highly expensive individual UAVs toward a larger and more expendable force structure.
