General Atomics (GA) has announced that it is in the process of designing a new flying-wing drone called NextGen. Intended for reconnaissance and strike missions, the new drone will also help inform the development of the company’s existing Gambit family of combat drones.What is of particular interest is the planned drone’s propulsion system. Rather than relying solely on a conventional jet engine or turboprop, General Atomics is pursuing hybrid-electric propulsion.That doesn’t mean it will be a Toyota Prius with wings, but rather it can open some interesting doors for the drone’s design. For example, it could mean the drone will have a combustion engine generating electricity to power electric fans.Alternatively, this could mean it will come with a combustion engine providing propulsion directly, with electrical assistance. Or, indeed, a combination of the two, potentially optimised for different flight conditions.General Atomics’ gambitAt the core of this decision will be efficiency. A hybrid setup could allow the combustion engine to operate closer to its optimum efficiency, potentially reducing fuel consumption significantly.This could offer the drone some important advantages when it comes to stealth capability. For example, it would provide reduced infrared signature under certain operating conditions.It could also offer the drone quieter operation as well as providing greater flexibility in where engines, fans, and exhaust outlets are positioned. In fact, GA is targeting more than 60 hours of unrefueled endurance for NextGen.That’s two and a half days airborne without refuelling. However, that is an engineering target, not an independently demonstrated capability.Another interesting wrinkle is that GA has announced the NextGen will feed on and into its existing Gambit series of modular drones. These are a set of six new drones that can reuse common core components like landing gear, avionics, and other equipment.By sharing hardware, the design and manufacturing process is simplified and made more efficient. By feeding into this architecture, NextGen will not only benefit but can also help lead design for some of the Gambit variants, like its planned flying-wing Gambit 4.In other, but related news, GA has announced that the latest variant of Gambit, called Gambit 6, is beginning to take shape. This will effectively be a ground-attack modification of its existing Gambit 2, AKA the FQ-42A.Gambit 6 to be revealed in 2027According to reports, the company hopes to have a live-firing demonstration of it by early 2027. This drone will operate much in the same way as a conventional manned stealth aircraft with internal munitions bays to reduce radar signature. All of this feeds into the broader idea that the future of air forces will be a combination of manned and unmanned craft working together. Technically known as Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCAs), both NextGen and Gambit 6 would offer some interesting tactical options in the future.“When we announced the Gambit Series in 2022, we knew that it was an ambitious, multi-stage concept that would require many years before its full power would be realized across all variants,” GA spokesman C. Mark Brinkley said. “It’s not complicated to understand, but it is revolutionary, and revolutions take time,” he added.