Gamera drone unveiled in the US as a cheaper alternative to MQ-9 Reaper
US company Swarm Aero unveiled its new Gamera unmanned aerial system near Washington, positioning it as a cheaper alternative to the MQ-9 Reaper. The platform was presented at the annual Air & Space Forces Association conference, Defense News reports.
According to Swarm Aero, Gamera can carry a payload of more than 2,800 pounds, or about 1.27 tonnes. The company says the aircraft will have all the capabilities of the MQ-9 Reaper and will also be able to employ weapons that the drone cannot carry, at a fraction of its cost.
Armament and specifications
Swarm Aero described Gamera as the first unmanned aircraft designed to employ bomber-class strike munitions. Among them, the company listed the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) and the JASSM-ER air-to-surface missile, as well as other cruise and hypersonic missiles.
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Gamera was classified as Group 5, the largest category of unmanned aerial vehicles in the US Department of Defense classification. According to the company, the aircraft has a wingspan of about 72 feet and can fly 9,000 nautical miles without refueling.
Focus on mass production
The presentation of Gamera comes as the US Air Force searches for aircraft that can be produced cheaply in large batches under the Massed Modular Aircraft program. Swarm Aero said its system should provide a similar strike effect at 10 times less cost than existing platforms. The company did not name a specific price for Gamera. The article notes that the estimated cost of one MQ-9 Reaper exceeds $30 million.
Swarm Aero said it launched in 2022 and invested tens of millions of dollars in designing Gamera. Over the past four years, the company said it has received US Department of Defense contracts worth millions of dollars and attracted additional investment.
