The U.S. Air Force is in a hurry to build a new type of drone. A drone is a robot plane flown by someone on the ground. For years, the military has used a drone called the MQ-9 Reaper. It is very famous, but it is also getting old and has become easy for enemies to target.

Recently, the U.S. has lost many of these drones. Some reports say nearly 25% of the Reapers in certain areas have been lost since tensions with Iran started to grow. Because they keep getting shot down, the Air Force decided it is time to move on.

Now, the military is looking for a replacement that is much cheaper and better. They want a new drone that costs about $10 million. That might sound like a lot of money, but for a high-tech military plane, it is actually quite cheap.

They also want this new drone to be able to fly much further—up to 14,800 kilometers. That is long enough to fly across the world without needing to land.

Building this new drone quickly is a big deal. The Air Force had already shut down the old Reaper factory last year, so they need to get this new project moving right away. They want to make sure the U.S. still has eyes in the sky without spending too much money or losing more expensive equipment.

Source: Military Times