Buying guide
Ghost (Ghost-X) vs MQ-9 Reaper in 2026
Comparing 2 humanoid robots across availability, pricing, capabilities, and verified deployments. Current as of 2026.
| Attribute | No image on file | No image on file |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Anduril Industries | General Atomics Aeronautical Systems |
| Form factor | aerial | aerial |
| Maturity | production | production |
| Availability | internal-onlyenterprise | internal-onlyenterprise |
| Price | Not announced | Not announced |
| Capability claims | — | — |
| Brain |
| — |
| Verified deployments | 1United States Army | 0 |
| Privacy practices | — | — |
| Sources on file | 9 | 4 |
Editorial summaries
Ghost (Ghost-X)
Anduril's Ghost (current Ghost-X variant) is a helicopter-style single-rotor autonomous VTOL small drone for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, redesigned on Ukrainian combat feedback from the 2020 Ghost 4. It carries about 20 to 25 pounds over roughly 75 to 90 minutes and 25 kilometers, runs Anduril's Lattice autonomy, and sits on the Defense Innovation Unit's China-free Blue UAS list. Its autonomy is verified-substantive, not marketing: Lattice delivers fielded onboard autonomy including radio-silent flight, single-operator multi-drone teaming, and automatic low-battery mission hand-off, and the registry wires Ghost to the Lattice brain (not to Shield AI's Hivemind). The deployment record is strong: a September 2024 US Army Company-Level small-UAS Tranche 1 selection under a $14.417 million ten-year contract, Replicator fielding to Brigade Combat Teams, more than 1,200 unit-hours across thirteen Army units, and combat use in Ukraine since 2022. It is defense procurement equipment sold on contract; there is no consumer price.
MQ-9 Reaper
The MQ-9 Reaper, from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, is the canonical legacy-prime medium-altitude long-endurance drone and the AI-augmented-not-autonomous contrast to the new-defense AI-first triangle. The MQ-9A (first flight 2001, in service since May 2007) is a remotely-piloted aircraft flown by a crew of three (pilot, sensor operator, mission intelligence coordinator) from a ground control station, with about 30 hours of ISR or 23 hours of armed endurance, a 3,800-pound payload, and AGM-114 Hellfire and GBU-12/38 munitions; the MQ-9B SkyGuardian/SeaGuardian adds 40-plus hours and civil-airspace integration (the UK operates it as Protector RG Mk1). It is fielded across the US DoD and allied air forces; the MQ-9A line closed production in 2025 while the MQ-9B is in production. Its AI is augmentation, not autonomy: sensor fusion, ISR processing, and targeting assistance run while a human crew flies the aircraft and makes mission decisions. It is defense procurement equipment; there is no consumer price.
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