The highly autonomous aircraft is intended for collaborative crewed-uncrewed operations and can carry four Joint Strike Missiles or a mix of sensors and other tactical payloads.<\/p>\n
Its advanced autonomy suite could allow operators to coordinate dozens of networked aircraft simultaneously using low-Earth-orbit satellite communications.<\/p>\n GA-ASI proposed Wildfire for the US Air Force\u2019s Massed Modular Aircraft competition, managed by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). The company claims the design exceeds all of the program\u2019s requirements.<\/p>\n The aircraft is expected to fly more than 8,000 nautical miles (14,816 kilometers\/9,206 miles) while carrying two long-range anti-ship missiles.<\/p>\n Built for Scale<\/strong><\/p>\n Wildfire is being positioned for a range of military and civilian roles, from overwhelming enemy defenses to transporting heavy commercial cargo.<\/p>\n It could also serve as an airborne intelligence and surveillance platform. GA-ASI describes the concept as \u201ca high-volume, lower-cost airplane that does a few things really well.\u201d<\/p>\n The company plans to use its existing production lines to deliver Wildfire to US forces ahead of the DIU\u2019s 2031 deadline.<\/p>\n According to GA-ASI, this approach could allow it to produce twice as many Wildfire aircraft within the same timeframe as its earlier drone programs.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/usaf-demonstrate-mq9a.jpg\")