Swarm Aero Gamera Drone: Swarm Aero has unveiled a new large drone called Gamera as the U.S. Air Force looks for cheaper unmanned aircraft that can be made in large numbers. The California-based company showed the aircraft at the Air & Space Forces Association’s annual conference near Washington on September 14, 2026.
Gamera Can Carry Heavy Weapons
Gamera is a Group 5 unmanned aerial system, which is the largest category used by the U.S. Department of Defense for unmanned aircraft. Swarm says the aircraft can carry more than 2,800 pounds of payload. It has a wingspan of about 72 feet and can travel up to 9,000 nautical miles before it needs to refuel.
The drone is being developed with heavy strike missions in mind. Swarm says Gamera is designed to carry bomber-class weapons including the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) and the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM-ER). The company also says it can carry other cruise missiles and hypersonic weapons.
Swarm said the aircraft “will be able to deliver all of the capabilities of the MQ-9, as well as employ payloads that the MQ-9 cannot, at a fraction of the price.”
The company hasn’t announced an exact price for Gamera. However, it says similar strike effects could cost 10 times less than existing platforms. The MQ-9 Reaper has been reported to cost more than $30 million each.
Why the Air Force wants Cheaper Drones
Gamera is arriving as the U.S. Air Force works on its Massed Modular Aircraft, or MMA, program. The goal is to develop aircraft that can be produced quickly and in large numbers while being cheaper and more willing to take losses in combat.
The MMA requirements call for at least 2,800 pounds of payload and an 8,000-nautical-mile one-way range. The Air Force has been looking for a lower-cost replacement for some MQ-9 missions as it deals with combat losses and the high price of existing systems.
Oliver Palmer, Swarm Aero’s chief revenue officer and co-founder, said the lower cost could also open the door to civil and commercial uses.
“The next few decades will see a continuous contest with China over global power projection, first focused near China over Taiwan, over time extending globally,” he said. “The [People’s Liberation Army] has built asymmetric ways to challenge our legacy force structure.”
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Palmer added that “we cannot continue to pursue incremental improvements in legacy approaches and hope to protect U.S. interests and deter [the People’s Republic of China] coercion of our allies and partners.”
Swarm Has Been Building The Program Since 2022
Swarm says it has spent tens of millions of dollars on Gamera’s development since 2022. In August 2026, the company also announced more than $10 million in Air Force Research Laboratory contracts to develop high-rate composite manufacturing methods for producing large aircraft at scale.
The company has also selected Honeywell’s TPE331 turboprop engine for its Group 5 aircraft. Swarm says the aircraft is being designed around proven commercial technology to keep production costs under control.
Swarm described Gamera as “well positioned to support the generational transformation the Air Force is advancing with MMA.”
