General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) has unveiled its Wildfire uncrewed air system. The new drone is targeting the U.S. Air Force’s Massed Modular Aircraft (MMA) requirement that aims to replace the service’s current fleet of GA-ASI MQ-9A Reapers, which has incurred a high rate of losses in combat operations against Iran.
Launched in July by the Air Force and the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit, MMA seeks a drone with the performance and load-carrying ability similar to that of the Reaper, quoting an 8,000-mile range and a payload to exceed 2,800 pounds. The latter includes the ability to carry two AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missiles. The drone must be fully outfitted from the start with high autonomy and for collaborative operations, and with the ability for many air vehicles to be controlled simultaneously by a single operator.
It must also be more attritable—in other words much cheaper to acquire. This has become a major priority since the start of Operation Epic Fury, during which—according to a Washington Post report in August—45 Reapers had been lost, around a quarter of the U.S Air Force’s fleet.
Air Force figures suggest fully-equipped Reapers cost around $50 million apiece to buy, but the MMA program has a target cost of around $10 million that, in turn, would allow the purchase of greater numbers and ease the financial burden imposed by the level of attrition being experienced by the MQ-9A.
GA-ASI’s Wildfire meets or exceeds performance requirements “in dramatic fashion”, says the company. It is a clean-sheet design with high-aspect ratio wings and would most likely be powered by a turboprop, as is the Reaper.
As well as being able to carry the two LRASMs, the Wildfire will be able to carry four AGM-184A Joint Strike Missiles, as well as numerous other sensors and effectors. Compared with the MQ-9A, it will not be able to undertake as wide a range of roles, but focuses instead on the core ISR and strike roles. The company describes it as a “high-volume, lower-cost airplane that does a few things really well.”
As originally planned by the DIU, the MMA was due for fielding in FY2031 with an initial complement of 20 mission-ready drones. However, the concerning loss rate of the MQ-9A has seen a desire to accelerate the fielding. GA-ASI, on its part, has stated that it can deliver much earlier than the 2031 date, and build more than double the number of Wildfires in that time.
In the meantime, Italy has ordered two more MQ-9A Reapers as attrition replacements. The air force acquired six MQ-9A Block 1s in the late 2000s for service with the 32° Stormo at Amendola. One was lost over Libya in 2019 and a second was destroyed in an Iranian drone strike on a Kuwaiti air base this March. The new aircraft, which are to be delivered next year, will be to Block 5 standard. The four surviving Block 1s are being upgraded to Block 5 under a 2021 contract.
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