The US military has lost nearly 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones, valued at approximately $1 billion, to Iranian air defenses since May 2026. This has reduced the Air Force's Reaper fleet to roughly 135 aircraft. A single Reaper, depending on its sensor package, can cost up to $50 million.

These losses come as hostilities between the US and Iran continue, with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claiming to have shot down another Reaper on July 8. General Atomics, which ceased Reaper production for the US military in 2025, is reportedly interested in a new US military contract for a cheaper successor.

The Defense Innovation Unit is seeking drones capable of carrying 2,800 pounds of payload and operating with a combat radius of at least 2,300 nautical miles. The Pentagon's fiscal year 2027 budget requests $54 billion for drone and autonomous warfare technologies, signaling a significant shift towards more cost-effective and potentially replaceable unmanned aerial systems.