Gamera
Swarm Aero · United States · also known as Swarm Aero Gamera · Updated
Gamera is a long-range Group 5 unmanned aerial system developed by Swarm Aero of the United States, publicly unveiled on 14 September 2026. It is pitched by its maker as a lower-cost successor to the US Air Force's MQ-9A Reaper, built for heavyweight, long-range strike missions.
Overview
Swarm Aero showed a full-scale model of Gamera at the Air and Space Forces Association's conference in National Harbor, Maryland, presenting it as a contender in the Pentagon's Massed Modular Aircraft (MMA) programme, a Defense Innovation Unit and Air Force effort to field a cheaper, more attrition-tolerant replacement for the Reaper after losses during the Iran conflict. The Air Force has described the MMA programme's target price as roughly a fifth of the Reaper's unit cost.
Swarm Aero describes Gamera as the first uncrewed aircraft system designed specifically around heavyweight, long-range strike payloads, built for simplicity and extreme range rather than stealth, and intended for rapid, mass-scale production.
Design and capabilities
Gamera uses a distinctive dual-hull airframe rather than a single central fuselage, with a wingspan of about 72 ft (21.95 m), and is powered by a Honeywell TPE331 turboprop. The manufacturer states an unrefuelled range of more than 9,000 nautical miles (about 16,668 km) and a payload capacity exceeding 2,800 lb (about 1,270 kg), carried across seven hardpoints. Swarm Aero says the airframe can carry heavyweight munitions including the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), AGM-158 JASSM-ER, Hellfire and AIM-9X, alongside modular sensing, electronic-warfare and communications payloads. The aircraft is controlled through Swarm Aero's own Legion autonomy and command-and-control software, which the company says lets one operator manage multiple unmanned systems at once. Swarm Aero has not published the aircraft's length, maximum take-off weight, speed or endurance; flight testing is planned for late 2027.
Frequently asked questions
What is the range of the Gamera?
Swarm Aero states an unrefuelled range of more than 9,000 nautical miles, about 16,668 km.
What can the Gamera carry?
A payload of more than 2,800 lb (about 1,270 kg) across seven hardpoints, including heavyweight munitions such as LRASM and JASSM-ER.
When will the Gamera fly?
Swarm Aero has said flight testing is planned for late 2027; as of its September 2026 unveiling only a full-scale model had been shown.
What is the Gamera meant to replace?
Swarm Aero is positioning it as a lower-cost successor to the US Air Force's MQ-9A Reaper.
Who makes the Gamera?
Swarm Aero, a US defence-technology company founded in 2022 and based in Oxnard, California.
