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…
