The House Appropriations Committee's defense panel (HAC-D) is recommending the reversal of the U.S. Air Force’s proposed end in fiscal 2021 of the General Atomics' MQ-9 Reaper production line and the acceleration before 2030 of the fielding of a to-be-determined follow-on drone, "MQ-Next." The panel's fiscal 2021 defense appropriations bill would fund 16 MQ-9s for $344 million. "The Air Force's fiscal year 2021 budget request proposes to terminate production of MQ–9 aircraft, citing an excess of aircraft compared to projected…
