The U.S. Air Force plans to replace some of its MQ-9A Reaper drones with a new, lower-cost reconnaissance-and-strike platform called the Massed Modular Aircraft, or MMA, according to reporting cited in an Air Force-focused industry outlet. The move is intended to help offset losses suffered by Reapers in combat operations and to expand drone capacity alongside the service’s planned fleet of Collaborative Combat Aircraft.
Airandspaceforces.com reported that the Air Force expects to field the MMA program starting in the late 2020s, with production scaling to a target of 500 drones by 2032. The plan, as described, separates MMA from the Collaborative Combat Aircraft effort and frames MMA as a more economical way to perform missions now handled by the Reaper fleet.
Key takeaways
- What’s changing: The Air Force plans to replace missions currently performed by the MQ-9A Reaper with 500 Massed Modular Aircraft drones by 2032.
- Cost rationale: The MMA concept is described as about half the cost of the Reaper at roughly $10 million per drone versus a reported $30 million per unit for the MQ-9A.
- Timeline: The first batch of 100 MMA drones would be flying as early as 2029, ramping to the full 500 by 2032.
- Program approach: Multiple MMA models and contractors are expected, suggesting an evaluation-and-scaling strategy rather than a single design winner at the outset.
- Implication for defense suppliers: The effort could open near-term production opportunities across several companies, with the largest future contracts likely accruing to the programs that scale.
CCA expansion sets the backdrop for MMA
The MMA plan is part of a broader push to scale drone forces. By 2032, the Air Force aims to have 500 autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft strike drones in its inventory. Those drones are intended to operate alongside piloted F-35 stealth fighter jets built by Lockheed Martin, as described in the underlying reporting.
While both CCA and MMA involve autonomous and strike-capable systems, the Air Force’s roadmap distinguishes between the two. The CCA effort focuses on more autonomous strike aircraft, and MMA is positioned as a cheaper reconnaissance-and-strike supplement designed to take over missions currently assigned to the MQ-9A Reaper.
MMA designed to reduce mission risk and unit costs
The Reaper fleet’s combat performance is a central driver of the MMA concept. The article cited that the Air Force has lost about 25% of its Reaper fleet, or 45 aircraft, during combat operations over Iran. With those units reported at about $30 million each, the losses represent a substantial cost burden in raw procurement terms.
Under the MMA plan, the economics are intended to ease that burden. The reporting describes a target unit cost of roughly $10 million per MMA drone. If achieved, future losses—though still strategically and operationally consequential—would be less financially damaging for the Air Force than comparable losses of a more expensive platform.
Who could build it, and how quickly the Air Force wants scale
Airandspaceforces.com said the Air Force expects the first batch of 100 MMA drones to be flying by 2029, with total numbers rising to 500 by 2032. The report also indicated that the program does not yet have a confirmed prime contractor, but it cited that General Atomics and Swarm Aero are among the companies in the running.
Significantly, the same reporting suggested the MMA fleet may include multiple drone models built by different contractors. That structure implies the Air Force could be planning a “try-before-you-buy” pathway—initially purchasing and fielding several competing designs in smaller quantities before committing to a larger, longer-term production winner based on performance and scalability.
The article compared this approach to the Pentagon’s Drone Dominance Program, which aims to fast-track the production of cheaper first-person view attack drones. In such a model, early contract awards can distribute work across multiple suppliers, with profitability potentially increasing later as the best-performing designs capture larger follow-on orders.
What to watch as Congress funds the rollout
The next phase for MMA will depend on funding and procurement decisions. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink was cited as saying that, assuming congressional resources are secured, the service intends to reach 500 MMA drones by 2032 and then move toward additional production contracts at higher levels in subsequent years.
For investors tracking defense and drone suppliers, the key near-term signals will include official announcements of contract awards, selection of contractors and designs for early deliveries, and any changes to the planned fleet mix. Because the MMA program is described as potentially involving multiple models and companies, the order flow could remain fragmented at first, before consolidating around the designs that best meet operational expectations.
With the Air Force setting a clear target for 2029 and 2032 milestones, the coming months should provide more clarity on which companies advance from concept and bidding to actual production and delivery schedules.
