War Zone reports the US Air Force is urgently seeking to replenish its MQ-9
inventory after losing nearly 30 drones in operations against Iran and suffering
additional losses in missions targeting Houthi forces. The MQ-9A is no longer in
production; the Air Force plans to buy unused stock from General Atomics but
fewer than 10 aircraft are available. The MQ-9 fleet has fallen from 165 at the
start of FY2026 to about 135.