Air Force Names 7 to Vie for New MMA Drone Program
The U.S. Air Force and Defense Innovation Unit have shortlisted seven companies to develop the Massed Modular Aircraft (MMA) drone. These firms, including Anduril, Shield AI, and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, will compete to build prototypes for a semi-autonomous, low-cost successor to the MQ-9A Reaper. The Air Force intends to field 500 units by 2032 with a target price of approximately $10 million per airframe. This shift prioritizes affordable, attrition-tolerant aircraft capable of overwhelming enemy defenses.
Listen to Live Briefing
Real-time synthesized voice briefing · Live Feeds Desk
- ✓ The Air Force and Defense Innovation Unit selected seven companies for the Massed Modular Aircraft program.
- ✓ The program aims to produce 500 drones by 2032.
- ✓ The target price for each MMA airframe is approximately $10 million.
- ✓ Anduril, Shield AI, and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems are among the selected companies.
What changed
The Air Force narrowed the MMA drone competition to seven vendors to develop a low-cost Reaper replacement.
Live updates
-
Air Force Selects 7 Companies for Massed Modular Aircraft Drone Program
The U.S. Air Force and Defense Innovation Unit have shortlisted seven companies to develop the Massed Modular Aircraft (MMA) drone. These firms, including Anduril, Shield AI, and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, will compete to build prototypes for a semi-autonomous, low-cost successor to the MQ-9A Reaper. The Air Force intends to field 500 units by 2032 with a target price of approximately $10 million per airframe. This shift prioritizes affordable, attrition-tolerant aircraft capable of overwhelming enemy defenses.
Why it matters
The program follows the loss of dozens of MQ-9 Reapers during operations against Iran earlier this year. The Air Force is moving away from expensive, high-value platforms toward modular systems that can be lost in combat without significant strategic or financial impact.
What is confirmed
- The Air Force and Defense Innovation Unit selected seven companies for the Massed Modular Aircraft program.
- The program aims to produce 500 drones by 2032.
- The target price for each MMA airframe is approximately $10 million.
- Anduril, Shield AI, and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems are among the selected companies.
Still unconfirmed
- The Air Force targets a replacement of the MQ-9A Reaper by 2029.
What to watch next
- Submission of prototype proposals from the seven selected vendors
- Official announcement of the final contract award for the MMA prototype
- Updates on the fielding timeline for the first batch of 500 drones
confidence 90%Sources used for this update (18)
- Air & Space Forces Magazine — Air Force Names 7 to Vie for New MMA Drone Program
- militarytimes.com — Heavy losses of MQ-9 Reaper to factor in future plans to divest, replace aircraft
- Unmanned Systems Technology — Swarm Aero Introduces a Low-Cost, Global-Reach UAS
- Shephard Media — September drone digest: attrition-tolerant aircraft pitched to replace the Reaper
- Aviation Week — A U.S. Drone Dominance Roadblock: The Economics of Asymmetric Warfare
- jen.jiji.com — 2026 Asian Games: Kazakhstan wins silver in water polo
- www.airandspaceforces.com — Air Force Names 7 to Vie for New MMA Drone Program
- www.airandspaceforces.com — Airborne T-7 Links Up with Simulators in Air Force First
- jen.jiji.com — Kazakhstan’s Nilufar Raimova claims bronze in women’s wrestling at Asian Games
- jumpseataerospacenews.com — Air Force Names 7 Companies for MMA Drone Program
- www.aisar.tech — US Air Force advances Massed Modular Aircraft program to ...
- www.airandspaceforces.com — Hegseth Unveils Autonomous Warfare Command | Air & Space ...
Community Sentiment: How do you assess this situation?
Voice your perspective · Real-time aggregated sentiment from the Live Feeds community