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USAF calls MQ-9 Reaper the “MVP” in Epic Fury as lawmakers weigh manned-unmanned priorities

Air Force leaders told Congress the remotely piloted MQ-9 Reaper was a “workhorse” in the U.S. air campaign against Iran, even as the fiscal 2027 budget request continues to concentrate aircraft funding in crewed fighters. The testimony comes alongside new industry work on expendable autonomous drone engines, including GE426 proposals.

Discovered 2026-05-21T08:05:25.410228-07:00 | 2026-05-21T08:05:25.410228-07:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

Congress and the USAF are explicitly debating whether next-generation airpower should prioritize crewed fighters or accelerate uncrewed systems, with MQ-9’s battlefield performance used as a key reference point (see US F-15E shot down over Iran in Operation Epic Fury).
The cluster links operational demand signals for MQ-9 mission roles and survivability/attrition realities to procurement and industrial plans—context that complements recent reporting on MQ-9 losses in Iran operations (Report: US loses or severely damages 42 aircraft in Iran bombing campaign).
It also broadens the discussion from fielded ISR/strike drones to next-step autonomy and expendable unmanned architectures, aligning with USAF moves toward collaborative combat/uncrewed fighter concepts and autonomy maturation (USAF to pick first Collaborative Combat Aircraft uncrewed fighter and autonomy software by year-end 2026, U.S. military flies first semi-autonomous fighter-class drone as GA-ASI's Dark Merlin tests; Anduril's Fury imminent).

Reported By

Times of India Simple Flying Aero-News orbitaltoday.com Military Times DefenseNews.com