# America's next combat drone could trade premium price tags

> Pentagon seeks an affordable drone capable of replacing many MQ-9 Reaper missionsReaper drones hit hard in Iran, and losses force demand for lower-cost unmanned combat aircraftNew aircraft must combine long range with…

- **Source:** [TechRadar](https://www.techradar.com/pro/usaf-wants-to-replace-usd30-million-mq-9-reaper-drones-with-cheaper-uavs-after-dozens-were-lost-in-iran-costing-taxpayers-billions?utm_source=gearopen.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=feed&utm_content=6a58240f0f90827d5928d8b3)
- **Published:** 2026-07-16
- **Category:** Drones
- **Tags:** #drone
- **Canonical:** http://localhost:4321/a/6a58240f0f90827d5928d8b3

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_GearOpen's distilled summary. The full original article is published at TechRadar (source link above); GearOpen does not republish the source's full text._