General Atomics unveils Wildfire as heavy successor to the MQ-9 Reaper
3 min read
General Atomics has shown the first renders of its Wildfire proposal to replace the famous MQ-9 Reaper series, showing a mixture of ISR, strike, and anti-shipping roles. The contractor has also revealed it will be heavy and have a ferry range in excess of 8,000 nautical miles.
General Atomics reveals Wildfire successor to the Reaper
General Atomics unveiled the first renderings of its new Wildfire drone, which it’s developing as a low-cost replacement for its MQ-9A Reaper drone.
The render appeared at the end of a General Atomics video celebrating 30 years of the company developing drones for the US military.
A good idea spreads like Wildfire.#UAS #Airpower pic.twitter.com/eIONVDjZ1n
— General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc (GA-ASI) (@GenAtomics_ASI) September 9, 2026
The reel starts with its earlier Gnat and Predator drones developed in the 1990s and progresses to the FQ-42A Dark Merlin being produced now for the Air Force’s CCA Increment 1.
Interestingly, it also appears to show a variant of its SeaGuardian family taking off from a Royal Navy Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier.
One render shows Wildfire carrying four stealthy cruise Joint Strike Missiles, while another render shows it carrying a pair of Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles (LRASMs).
Meanwhile, a third render shows almost a dozen Wildfire drones attacking a group of enemy ships and firing missiles. In a press release, the company says Wildfire can carry numerous other combinations of munitions, launched effects, sensors, or other payloads.
A heavy, modular drone with an impressive range
General Atomics spokesman C. Mark Brinkley told Air and Space Forces Magazine, “The whole point of a flying weapons truck is to come heavy.” It is unclear how heavy Wildfire will be relative to the Reaper, although a requirement is to have a payload of at least 2,800 pounds.
Brinkley adds, “Wildfire will be able to carry a minimum of two LRASMs, four JSMs, or some similar configuration of heavy stand-off weapons, across meaningful combat distances.”
He also said the Wildfire drone would exceed the requirement for an 8,000 nautical mile ferry range. It is also being designed to be modular so that capabilities can be rapidly swapped out.
General Atomics says that it will be able to deliver the drone on the Air Force’s Fiscal 2031 timeline, adding that the company will be able to deliver more than double the number of aircraft originally asked for in the same amount of time. Brinkley says, “We’re not worried about scaling at all.”
The need for a low-cost MQ-9A Reaper replacement
The MQ-9A Reaper has become the mainstay of the US Air Force’s persistent UAV ISR and strike capabilities.
Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach acknowledged how useful this type was and that it was the “most valuable player” in Operation Epic Fury. However, the USAF lost around 25% of its fleet to the conflict (and Yemen).
Apart from the SeaGuardian and SkyGuardian production lines, the Reaper line is closed, and at around $30 million each (depending on configuration), they are too expensive to be used as disposable assets.
The wait is almost over.
— Swarm Aero (@SwarmAero) September 1, 2026
Find us at Booth 4100 at @AFA_Air_Space's Air, Space & Cyber Conference September 14-16, 2026 as we pull back the curtain on our aircraft for the first time. pic.twitter.com/rMPB0ZlwcU
The Air Force is seeking a replacement through its Massed Modular Aircraft (MMA) programme. The MMA is planned to be semi-autonomous, able to operate in groups or swarms, and cost less than $10 million each (excluding sensors, etc.).
General Atomics is the only company that has publicly and explicitly confirmed it is competing for the MMA. Swarm Aero has previously indicated it is developing a Group 5 drone for the programme. Anduril and Kratos Defense are both considered likely bidders, as are traditional primes like Boeing, Lockheed, and Northrop.
