US Air Force Charts Course for Next-Gen Combat Drone

The US Air Force has begun shaping the future of its uncrewed aerial fleet, establishing requirements for a next-generation aircraft that could eventually succeed the MQ-9 Reaper.

At the heart of the effort is an open-systems architecture, with modularity built into the aircraft from the outset rather than added later.

The service also wants future intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms to be produced at scale, fielded rapidly, and operated with greater tolerance for combat losses than today’s systems.

Read the full story on our new publication, The Drone Front: US Air Force Charts Course for Next-Gen Combat Drone