https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Atomics_MQ-9_Reaper
The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (sometimes called Predator B) is an unmanned
aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight
operations, developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) primarily
for the United States Air Force (USAF). The MQ-9 and other UAVs are referred to
as Remotely Piloted Vehicles/Aircraft (RPV/RPA) by the USAF to indicate their
human ground controllers. The MQ-9 is the first hunter-killer UAV designed for
the United States Air Force General T. Michael Moseley said: "We've moved from
using UAVs primarily in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance roles
before Operation Iraqi Freedom, to a true hunter-killer role with the Reaper."
The MQ-9 is a larger, heavier, and more capable aircraft than the earlier
General Atomics MQ-1 Predator; it can be controlled by the same ground systems
used to control MQ-1s. The Reaper has a 950-shaft-horsepower (712 kW) turboprop
engine (compared to the Predator's 115 hp (86 kW) piston engine). The greater
power allows the Reaper to carry 15 times more ordnance payload and cruise at
about three times the speed of the MQ-1. The aircraft is monitored and
controlled by aircrew in the Ground Control Station (GCS), including weapons
employment.
In 2008, the New York Air National Guard 174th Attack Wing began the transition
from F-16 piloted fighters to MQ-9A Reapers, becoming the first fighter unit to
convert entirely to unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) use. In March 2011,
the U.S. Air Force was training more pilots for advanced unmanned aerial
vehicles than for any other single weapons system. The Reaper is also used by
the United States Navy, the CIA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, NASA, and
the militaries of several other countries.
The USAF operated 195 MQ-9 Reapers as of September 2016, and plans to keep the
MQ-9 in service into the 2030s.
Origins
General Atomics began development with the "Predator B-001", a proof-of-concept
aircraft, which first flew on 2 February 2001. Abraham Karem is the designer of
the Predator. The B-001 was powered by an AlliedSignal Garrett TPE331-10T
turboprop engine with 950 shaft horsepower (710 kW). It had an airframe that was
based on the standard Predator airframe, except with an enlarged fuselage and
wings lengthened from 48 feet (15 m) to 66 feet (20 m). The B-001 had a speed of
220 knots (410 km/h; 250 mph) and could carry a payload of 750 pounds (340 kg)
to an altitude of 50,000 feet (15,000 m) with an endurance of 30 hours.
The company refined the design, taking it in two separate directions. The first
was a jet-powered version; "Predator B-002" was fitted with a Williams FJ44-2A
turbofan engine with 10.2 kilonewtons (2,300 lbf; 1,040 kgf) thrust. It had
payload capacity of 475 pounds (215 kg), a ceiling of 60,000 feet (18 km) and
endurance of 12 hours. The USAF ordered two airframes for evaluation, delivered
in 2007. The first two airframes delivered with prototypes B-001 and B-002 (now
in the USAF museum at Wright-Patterson AFB). B-002 was originally equipped with
the FJ-44 engine but it was removed and a TPE-331-10T was installed so that the
USAF could take delivery of two aircraft in the same configuration.
The second direction the design took was the "Predator B-003", referred to by GA
as the "Altair", which has a new airframe with an 84-foot (26 m) wingspan and a
takeoff weight of approximately 7,000 pounds (3,200 kg). Like the Predator
B-001, it is powered by a TPE-331-10YGD turboprop. This variant has a payload
capacity of 3,000 pounds (1,400 kg), a maximum ceiling of 52,000 feet (16 km),
and an endurance of 36 hours.
In October 2001, the USAF signed a contract for an initial pair of Predator Bs
(001 and 002) for evaluation. Designated YMQ-9s due to their prototype role,
they were delivered in 2002. The USAF referred to it as "Predator B" until it
was renamed "Reaper". The USAF aimed for the Predator B to provide an improved
"deadly persistence" capability, flying over a combat area night-and-day waiting
for a target to present itself, complementing piloted attack aircraft, typically
used to drop larger quantities of ordnance on a target, while a cheaper RPV can
operate almost continuously using ground controllers working in shifts, but
carrying less ordnance.
Role
Unmanned combat aerial vehicle
National origin
United States
Manufacturer
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems
First flight
2 February 2001
Introduction
1 May 2007
Status
In service
Primary users
United States Air Force
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Royal Air Force
Italian Air Force
Number built
163 as of 2014
Program cost
US$11.8 billion
Unit cost
US$16.9 million (flyaway cost, 2013)
Developed from
General Atomics MQ-1 Predator
Developed into
General Atomics Avenger
By October 2007, the USAF owned nine Reapers, and by December 2010 had 57 with
plans to buy another 272, for a total of 329 Reapers. Critics have stated that
the USAF's insistence on qualified pilots flying RPVs is a bottleneck to
expanding deployment. USAF Major General William Rew stated on 5 August 2008,
This reportedly has exacerbated losses of USAF aircraft in comparison with US
Army operations. In March 2011, U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Robert
Gates stated that, while manned aircraft are needed, the USAF must recognize
"the enormous strategic and cultural implications of the vast expansion in
remotely piloted vehicles..." and stated that as the service buys manned
fighters and bombers, it must give equal weight to unmanned drones and "the
service's important role in the cyber and space domains."
In 2013, the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) sought the ability to
pack up an MQ-9 in less than eight hours, fly it anywhere in the world aboard a
C-17 Globemaster III, and then have it ready to fly in another eight hours to
support special operations teams at places with no infrastructure. MQ-1 and MQ-9
drones must fly aboard cargo aircraft to travel long distances as they lack the
refueling technology or speed to travel themselves; the C-17 is large enough to
carry the aircraft and support systems and can land on short runways. Pilots
traveling with the Reaper will use the ground control station to launch and land
the aircraft, while most of the flying will be done by US-based pilots.
On 17 July 2008, the USAF began flying Reaper missions within Iraq from Balad
Air Base. It was reported on 11 August 2008 that the 174th Fighter Wing would
consist entirely of Reapers. By March 2009 the USAF had 28 operational Reapers.
Beginning in September 2009, Reapers were deployed by the Africa Command to the
Seychelles islands for use in Indian Ocean anti-piracy patrols.
On 13 September 2009, positive control of an MQ-9 was lost during a combat
mission over Afghanistan, after which the control-less drone started flying
towards the Afghan border with Tajikistan. An F-15E Strike Eagle fired an AIM-9
missile at the drone, successfully destroying its engine. Before the drone
impacted the ground, contact was reestablished with the drone, and it was flown
into a mountain to destroy it. It was the first US drone to be destroyed
intentionally by allied forces.
By July 2010, thirty-eight Predators and Reapers had been lost during combat
operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, another nine were lost in training missions
in the U.S. In 2010, the USAF conducted over 33,000 close air support missions,
a more-than-20 percent increase compared with 2009. By March 2011, the USAF had
48 Predator and Reaper combat air patrols flying in Iraq and Afghanistan
compared with 18 in 2007.
On 22 October 2013, the USAF's fleets of MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper UAVs
reached 2,000,000 flight hours. The RPA program began in the mid-1990s, taking
16 years for them to reach 1 million flight hours; the 2 million hour mark was
reached just two and a half years later.
The high demand for UAVs has caused Air Combat Command to increase pilot output
from 188 in 2015 to 300 in 2017 at Holloman.
On 13 November 2015, the Pentagon reported that an MQ-9 had killed ISIL member
Mohammed Emwazi, popularly known as "Jihadi John", who was responsible for
executing several Western prisoners.
In 2015, a record number (20) of Air Force drones crashed. Working with
engineers from General Atomics, investigators identified three parts of the
starter-generator that were susceptible to breakdowns. But they could not
determine why they were failing. Col. William S. Leister informed Pentagon
officials that investigators from the Air Force, General Atomics and Skurka had
investigated the problem for more than a year. The team, he said, had identified
"numerous manufacturing quality issues" yet had been unable to determine the
exact cause of the failures.
On 2 October 2017, U.S. Central Command stated that a MQ-9 had been shot down by
Houthi air defense systems over Sanaa in western Yemen the previous day. The
aircraft took off from Chabelley Airport in Djibouti, and was armed.
Specifications (MQ-9A)
General characteristics
Crew: 0 onboard, 2 in ground station
Length: 36 ft 1 in (11 m)
Wingspan: 65 ft 7 in (20 m)
Height: 12 ft 6 in (3.81 m)
Empty weight: 4,901 lb (2,223 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 10,494 lb (4,760 kg)
Fuel capacity: 4,000 lb (1,800 kg)
Payload: 3,800 lb (1,700 kg) Internal: 800 lb (360 kg)
External: 3,000 lb (1,400 kg)
Electronic Engine Control (DEEC)
Performance
Maximum speed: 300 mph; 260 kn (482 km/h)
Cruise speed: 194 mph; 169 kn (313 km/h)
Range: 1,151 mi; 1,852 km (1,000 nmi)
Endurance: 14 hours fully loaded
Service ceiling: 50,000 ft (15,000 m)
Operational altitude: 25,000 ft (7.5 km)
Armament
7 hardpoints Up to 1,500 lb (680 kg) on the two inboard weapons stations
Up to 750 lb (340 kg) on the two middle stations
Up to 150 lb (68 kg) on the outboard stations
Center station not used
Up to 4 AGM-114 Hellfire air to ground missiles can be carried or four Hellfire
missiles and two 500 lb (230 kg) GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bombs. The 500
lb (230 kg) GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) can also be carried.
Testing is underway to support the operation of the AIM-92 Stinger air-to-air
missile. In March 2014, MBDA successfully test fired a dual mode Brimstone
missile from a Reaper aircraft on behalf of the UK Ministry of Defence and Royal
Air Force.
Avionics
AN/DAS-1 MTS-B Multi-Spectral Targeting System
AN/APY-8 Lynx II radar
Raytheon SeaVue Marine Search Radar (Guardian variants)
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