The US-based General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI), which develops the MQ-9, recently released videos and schematics of its new "Wildfire" drone for the first time. (Taken from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Linkedin)
[Reporter Tu Jumin/Comprehensive Report] The U.S. military's MQ-9A "Reaper" drones have suffered successive battle losses in recent years, forcing the U.S. Air Force to speed up the search for a successor. The American General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Corporation (GA-ASI), which develops the MQ-9, recently unveiled its new "Wildfire" drone for the first time. Not only can it carry two AGM-158C long-range anti-ship missiles, or four joint strike missiles, the U.S. Air Force also hopes to lower the unit price of the new aircraft to US$10 million (approximately NT$314.9 million), significantly reducing the cost pressure caused by drone battle damage.
According to reports from multiple foreign military news websites, "Wildfire" is a new design proposed by General Atomics in the U.S. Air Force's "Massed Modular Aircraft (MMA)" program. From the first public simulation, it can be seen that the new aircraft still adopts the familiar push-back propeller configuration of the MQ-9 family. There is a sensor turret under the nose, but the eye-catching satellite communication equipment bulge on the front fuselage of the MQ-9 is eliminated.
General Atomics said that the "Wildfire" drone will introduce decentralized low-Earth orbit satellite communication technology and combine artificial intelligence, autonomy and machine learning results. In the future, not only can a single aircraft perform long-term intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and strike missions, but it is also envisaged to network dozens of "Wildfire" drones with each other to form a large-scale collaborative combat capability.
Please read on...
The ability to carry heavy weapons is a major selling point of the "Wildfire" drone. General Atomics stated that the new aircraft can carry four joint strike missiles with anti-ship and land attack capabilities at a time. It can also carry two long-range anti-ship missiles, which is twice the number required by the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). General Atomics describes that if it wants to build a "flying weapons truck", it should really "give it teeth."
Since the long-range anti-ship missile has long-range anti-ship strike capabilities outside the zone, it also means that even if the "Wildfire" drone does not have stealth capabilities, it can still launch attacks outside the enemy's high-threat air defense area. Compared with the short-range precision weapons that were common in the MQ-9 in the past, the survivability and threat to large surface ships are expected to be improved.
The combat losses of the MQ-9 drone in the Middle East are quite high. (AFP file photo)
The U.S. Air Force officially launched the MMA program in July this year, requiring new UAVs to have a true airspeed of at least 200 knots (about 370 kilometers per hour) and a weapons and sensor payload of at least 2,800 pounds (about 1,270 kilograms). When carrying a payload and not being refueled in the air, It has a combat radius of at least 2,300 nautical miles (approximately 4,260 kilometers), has a one-way independent deployment capability of at least 8,000 nautical miles (approximately 14,816 kilometers), and must be able to use a runway length not exceeding 6,000 feet (approximately 1,829 meters).
General Atomics claimed that the "Wildfire" UAV has the ability to be delivered earlier than the original schedule. The U.S. Air Force originally planned to obtain 20 MMAs and achieve initial combat capability in 2031. It currently hopes to advance the schedule by about two years, and the final procurement scale is expected to be 180 aircraft. In addition, the U.S. Air Force has set an MMA unit price target of approximately US$10 million (approximately NT$314.9 million), excluding sensors and some other systems; in comparison, the current cost of a fully equipped MQ-9 is estimated to be approximately US$30 million (approximately NT$944.7 million) to US$50 million (approximately NT$1.5745 billion).
