US seeks cheaper hunter-killer drones after Iran destroys $1B worth of Reapers
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US seeks cheaper hunter-killer drones after Iran destroys $1B worth of Reapers.
The US military lost nearly 30 MQ-9A Reaper drones (each $30-50M) in combat over Iran, totaling roughly $1 billion. The Pentagon's Defense Innovation Unit now seeks cheaper, expendable drones capable of carrying 2,800 lbs payloads with a 2,300 nautical mile combat radius (8,000 nm one-way). The goal is to overwhelm enemy air defenses by accepting losses, similar to Ukraine's low-cost drone campaign against Russia. The Pentagon requests $54 billion for drone and autonomous warfare technologies in FY2027, with delivery of 20 mission-ready aircraft targeted by 2031.
What commenters are saying
Commenters focused on bureaucratic inefficiencies in US defense procurement, contrasting it with Ukraine's agile drone industry. A former control systems engineer described six-week testing cycles for one-line code changes, incentivizing only critical fixes. Others noted that cost-plus contracts reduce pressure to innovate, while Ukraine's existential threat drives rapid, cheap development. A subthread debated whether US drone use is primarily offensive vs. defensive, with several pointing to strikes in non-white countries vs. Ukraine's defensive use.