RBT's Defense Blog

For nearly two decades, the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper was the undisputed king of the skies in modern asymmetric warfare. It was the poster child of the Global War on Terror—an exquisite, hunter-killer platform that could loiter over a target for over 24 hours, beaming back high-definition video before quietly delivering a precision strike. But the geopolitical landscape has shifted dramatically. High-intensity conflicts and advanced air defense networks have exposed the Reaper’s Achilles' heel: it was designed for permissive environments, not contested ones. Faced with mounting combat losses and an unsustainable financial equation, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) has officially set its sights on what comes next. In mid-2026, top military officials finalized the requirements for a successor program, colloquially dubbed "MQ-9 Next." Here is a look inside the strategic shift that is fundamentally redefining the future of unmanned aerial warfare. The Catalyst: The R...

(Iran Blockaded Strait of Hormuz as Part of Asymmetric Warfare) Iran has blockaded the Strait of Hormuz as part of its Asymmetric Warfare strategy. Iran has heavily mined the entry and exit to Strait of Hormuz which falls under its territorial waters. Strait of Hormuz is a mere 21 miles wide at its narrowest point and has left only 2 narrow entry and exit channels open that are just 2 miles wide, and both fall under its territorial waters. Strait of Hormuz is a sea route from where not just 20% of global crude oil shipments but also around 1/5th of natural gas, aluminium, fertilizer passes through. This blockade has also affected the business prospects of other Persian Gulf countries, be it Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and above all UAE. Asymmetric Warfare has reshaped modern conflicts more than conventional battles. It pits a weaker actor against a superior military power using unconventional methods to exploit vul...