General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has unveiled Wildfire, a new armed unmanned aircraft concept pitched for the US Air Force’s Massed Modular Aircraft programme and intended to replace the MQ-9A Reaper. Revealed in early September, the design is aimed at a lower-cost, mass-producible strike drone as the Air Force seeks a faster and more affordable path to a Reaper successor.
The concept arrives as the service and the Defense Innovation Unit push for an aircraft that can be built at scale for about $10 million per air vehicle before sensors, far below the cost of current large armed drones. Wildfire is presented as a clean-sheet or near-clean-sheet proposal rather than a flying prototype, and no final configuration has been disclosed.
GA-ASI describes the aircraft as able to exceed the programme’s range and payload goals, with claims of roughly 8,000 nautical miles ferry range and the ability to carry heavy external weapons, including long-range anti-ship missiles. The concept also reflects the company’s effort to preserve its position in the medium-altitude armed drone market while the Reaper replacement competition remains open.