The Cheaper Reaper: Swarm Aero Unveils Gamera

Source: Swarm Aero

Swarm Aero unveiled Gamera, a new low-cost Group 5 unmanned aircraft, at the Air, Space & Cyber Conference for the U.S. Air Force’s Massed Modular Aircraft (MMA) program. The aircraft is designed to carry more than 2,800 pounds of weapons, including long-range strike systems such as LRASM and JASSM-ER, giving it capabilities beyond the MQ-9 Reaper.

Gamera has a roughly 72-foot wingspan and a claimed 9,000-nautical-mile range. Swarm Aero says the system could provide MQ-9-like capabilities at a substantially lower cost, with comparable strike effects potentially costing 10 times less than existing platforms. The design reflects the Air Force’s push toward large numbers of affordable, risk-tolerant drones capable of carrying significant weapons loads in a future conflict with China.

&