{"id":28117825,"date":"2026-10-15T10:28:20","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T08:28:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/massed-modular-aircraft-mma-operational-prototypes-2028-meink-ausa\/"},"modified":"2026-10-15T11:03:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T09:03:08","slug":"massed-modular-aircraft-mma-operational-prototypes-2028-meink-ausa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/de\/massed-modular-aircraft-mma-operational-prototypes-2028-meink-ausa\/","title":{"rendered":"Massed Modular Aircraft: USAF&#8217;s Reaper Successor to Fly by 2028"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\r\n\r\n<style>\r\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid 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Speaking on a panel at the AUSA conference in Washington on 14 October 2026, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said operational prototypes of the Massed Modular Aircraft (MMA) will be fielded in 2028, with large-scale production starting in 2029.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He described the programme in blunt terms: after the autonomous fighters, he said, comes \"the autonomous strike platform, the autonomous bomber\". For a service that spent two decades flying Reapers from ground stations in Nevada, that is a big change in how it plans to build combat power.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6f9;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:18px 22px;margin:22px 0 28px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.7\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px\"><li><strong>Programme:<\/strong> Massed Modular Aircraft (MMA)<\/li><li><strong>Replaces:<\/strong> MQ-9 Reaper<\/li><li><strong>Operational prototypes:<\/strong> 2028<\/li><li><strong>Large-scale production:<\/strong> From 2029<\/li><li><strong>Announced:<\/strong> 14 October 2026, AUSA conference, Washington<\/li><li><strong>Target base price:<\/strong> About $10 million, without sensors and weapons (Air & Space Forces Magazine)<\/li><li><strong>Planned numbers:<\/strong> 100 by 2029, 500 by 2032 (earlier Air Force statements)<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">What Meink Said<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meink said the contracts were being awarded now, in collaboration with the Defense Innovation Unit, but he did not name the companies. He put the economics plainly: depending on how the comparison is made, autonomous systems could field combat power five to ten times more cheaply than the alternative.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;flex-direction:row-reverse;justify-content:flex-end;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;We\u2019re going to be fielding operational prototypes by \u201928, and we\u2019re just awarding the contract now&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Troy Meink<\/strong> &mdash; US Secretary of the Air Force, AUSA conference, 14 October 2026<\/div><\/div><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/troy-meink-secretary-of-the-air-force.jpg\" alt=\"Troy Meink\" style=\"width:96px;height:96px;border-radius:50%;object-fit:cover;object-position:top;flex-shrink:0\"><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He also pointed to how fast the first of these machines had moved. Autonomous fighters, a reference to the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, are already in production and being integrated into experimental operations units at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada. The first, he said, took two years to build. He added a caveat: the MMA plan depends heavily on money from Congress, where the fiscal 2027 defense budget is stalled.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A Reaper Replacement Built to Be Cheap<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Air & Space Forces Magazine, the MMA is meant to do what the MQ-9 does, strike and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, but autonomously and with an open architecture that makes it easy to swap sensors and weapons. It is deliberately less sophisticated than a CCA. The magazine reports a target cost of about $10 million for the base aircraft, half the CCA target, a likely turboprop engine, and a range of around 4,000 miles, roughly twice that of a CCA. It is designed to be slower than a CCA but to fly farther and carry more.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/mq-9-reaper-in-flight-afghanistan-2007.jpg\" alt=\"MQ-9 Reaper in flight\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The MQ-9 Reaper, which the Massed Modular Aircraft is intended to succeed. No MMA design has been shown publicly yet. U.S. Air Force photo \/ public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sources told the magazine that seven companies remain in contention: Anduril, Chaos Industries, General Atomics, Grid Aero, Otto Aerospace, Shield AI and Swarm Aero. The Air Force declined to confirm the list.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Why It Matters<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Reaper made remote warfare routine, but it is expensive and has proved easy to shoot down when an opponent has real air defences. The MMA bets on numbers instead of survivability: hundreds of cheaper aircraft that the Air Force can afford to lose. Whether 2028 holds will depend first on Congress, and then on whether \"large-scale production\" means what it says.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 6px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/z-rgyCM4Vhg\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin:0 0 24px;font-style:italic\">Aviation Week looks at Massed Modular Aircraft concepts shown at the AFA conference.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Sources: Air & Space Forces Magazine; AUSA 2026 panel remarks by Secretary Troy Meink; Aviation Week<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\r\n\r\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What is the US Air Force Massed Modular Aircraft (MMA)?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Massed Modular Aircraft is the US Air Force's planned autonomous successor to the MQ-9 Reaper. It is meant to fly strike and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions at low cost, with an open architecture so sensors and weapons can be swapped easily.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>When will the MMA drone enter service?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said on 14 October 2026 that operational prototypes of the Massed Modular Aircraft will be fielded in 2028, with large-scale production starting in 2029. He said the plan depends heavily on funding from Congress.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How much will the Massed Modular Aircraft cost?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">According to Air &amp; Space Forces Magazine, the Air Force targets about $10 million for the base MMA aircraft, without sensors and weapons. That is half the roughly $20 million target for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Which companies are competing for the MMA programme?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Air &amp; Space Forces Magazine reported that seven companies remain in contention: Anduril, Chaos Industries, General Atomics, Grid Aero, Otto Aerospace, Shield AI and Swarm Aero. The Air Force declined to confirm the list.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How is the MMA different from a Collaborative Combat Aircraft?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The MMA is designed to be less advanced and cheaper than a Collaborative Combat Aircraft. It is expected to be slower and likely turboprop-powered, but to fly farther, around 4,000 miles, and carry heavier payloads.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What is the US Air Force Massed Modular Aircraft (MMA)?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Massed Modular Aircraft is the US Air Force's planned autonomous successor to the MQ-9 Reaper. 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It is expected to be slower and likely turboprop-powered, but to fly farther, around 4,000 miles, and carry heavier payloads.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/usaf-massed-modular-aircraft-mma-10-million-mq-9-replacement-2026\/\">USAF Wants a $10 Million Reaper Replacement by 2029<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/autonomous-warfare-command-autowarcom-hegseth-four-star-drone-command-2026\/\">Autonomous Warfare Command: Pentagon Creates a Four-Star Drone Command<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/x-bat-navy-150-million-shield-ai-400-million-rimes-2026\/\">X-BAT Gets $150 Million More as the Navy Doubles Down on VTOL Drones<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Air Force Secretary Troy Meink says the autonomous MQ-9 Reaper successor will field operational prototypes in 2028 and enter mass production in 2029.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":28117571,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[664,670],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28117825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military-aviation","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Massed Modular Aircraft Prototypes by 2028 | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The USAF Massed Modular Aircraft, an autonomous MQ-9 Reaper successor, will field prototypes in 2028, Secretary Meink said at AUSA 2026.\" 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