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Air Force

DIU And Air Force Collaborating On MQ-9A Follow-On

Frank Wolfe

Thursday, July 9th, 2026

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DIU And Air Force Collaborating On MQ-9A Follow-On

Pictured is a U.S. Air Force photo of three MQ-9A Reapers with the 432nd Wing, as they prepare to take off during Exercise Bamboo Eagle 25-3 on Aug. 5, 2025.

The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and Air Force are collaborating on a project to replace the General Atomics MQ-9A Reaper which, depending on payload, can cost up to $50 million apiece. "The Joint Force's reliance on low density, high-value 'exquisite' --greater than $30 million--manned and unmanned aircraft is unsustainable against adversaries utilizing layered defenses enabled by increasingly low-cost anti-aircraft capabilities," according to a DIU solicitation on a future "massed modular aircraft" (MMA). "Crucially, MMA must retain the ability to be…

Congress

Wisconsin GOP Lawmakers Urge Trump Admin Support For Marines’ JLTV Second Supplier Effort

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Congress

Senate’s CR Has Ship Construction Exemption, Forgoes White House’s Battleship, Munitions Requests

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Congress

U.S. Fighter Fleet Will Expand By 2040 But More Stealth Aircraft Will Mean Less Availability, CBO Says

The number of fighter aircraft in the U.S. military inventory will decline over the next few years before expanding to a greater number than currently, but their availability for operational […]

Congress

White House Details ‘Concerns’ With Shipbuilding, Spaced-Based Interceptor Oversight In House’s NDAA

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