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Air Force

Drones May Play Significant Role in Future Air Superiority

Frank Wolfe

Monday, August 17th, 2026

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Drones May Play Significant Role in Future Air Superiority

Pictured is a U.S. Air Force photo of an MQ-9A Reaper with the 11th Attack Squadron of the 432nd Wing performing a touch-and-go landing at Creech AFB, Nev. on May 22, 2025.

The absence of air superiority by Russian or Ukrainian forces since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the lack of U.S. air superiority over Iran point to a future in which autonomous air-to-air, strike, and electronic warfare drones may play the dominant role in major conflicts. The loss over Iran of 45 Air Force MQ-9A Reaper drones by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.--each having a unit cost of $16 million or more--may be instructive. "In Iraq and Afghanistan, we would…

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