The strange story of the drone the US stopped producing - and became the "star player" in Iran | Weekend special

The strange story of the MQ-9 Reaper, a drone whose production line was closed in 2025, which became a star in the war in Iran. The US has lost at least 45 units - about a quarter of its fleet - with damage exceeding $1.3 billion. The Pentagon is shifting its approach toward cheaper, modular "attritable" systems, planning initial development contracts by the end of 2026.

The strange story of the MQ-9 Reaper, a drone whose production line was closed in 2025, which became a star in the war in Iran. For nearly twenty years it was a symbol of American aerial warfare, but in 2025 the Air Force stopped ordering new units and manufacturer General Atomics closed the production line. With the outbreak of the war in Iran, the Reaper became the "star player" of the campaign, operating about 12 runways simultaneously and attacking mobile targets. Out of over 13,000 targets attacked in the first six weeks, more than 4,000 were dynamic. However, the Reaper is not stealthy and its maximum speed is about 445 km/h, and in Iran it encountered air defense and electronic warfare arrays. By mid-August, the US had lost at least 45 drones - about a quarter of the fleet it had before the war, with potential damage of more than $1.3 billion. The Pentagon is shifting its approach toward "attritable" systems - not a suicide aircraft, but a vehicle they want to return but can afford to lose. The MMA program (Modular Aircraft for Large-Scale Operations) aims to replace a handful of expensive drones with many cheaper, modular, and faster-to-produce units. The Pentagon plans to award initial development contracts by the end of 2026, with a goal of reaching a first unit with 20 mission-ready aircraft by 2031.