Modern anti-aircraft missile systems make the well-known MQ-9 Reaper attack drone, which the US Air Force actively used in Middle East conflicts, extremely vulnerable.
This was reported by the publication “FlightGlobal”.
According to media reports, the U.S. Air Force expects to find a replacement for the drone by 2030.
The reason for this decision was the US access to confrontation with opponents, many times technologically superior to those with which the Americans fought before – Russia and China. During the operation of the MQ-9 Reaper, serious vulnerabilities to modern missile defense systems were identified. As a result, they intend to replace it with a drone with high autonomy, machine learning, as well as artificial intelligence. A tender for the development of AI has already been announced.
Operation of the MQ-9 Reaper began in 2007. In total, about 300 units were produced. The U.S. Congress authorized the use of shock drones after the 9/11 attack. Often, air strikes using UAVs led to the death of civilians.
Earlier, News Front published the story of an American drone operator who admitted to killing civilians.