Function: Medium altitude endurance unmanned aerial vehicle.



History: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are either remotely or autonomous pilotless drones typically used for reconnaissance. UAVs can trace their roots back to the AQM-34N Firebee. Derived from the Ryan Aeronautical Company Firebee sub-sonic target drone, the AQM-34N had a range of more than 2,400 miles, could fly above 65,000 feet, and had a top speed of 420 miles per hour. During the Vietnam war the Firebee recon drones were made more maneuverable and equipped with electronic countermeasures and jamming equipment to defend them from surface to air missiles and air interception.



UAVs are generally equipped with a payload bay which can house a variety of sensor packages, allowing mission planners to tailor the UAV's sensors for a specific mission requirement.



UAVs are generally divided into two categories: Tactical and Endurance. Tactical UAVs typically have a range of at least 200km while Endurance UAVs have a range beyond 200km.







Background: The RQ-1 Predator Medium Altitude Endurance (MAE) UAV was introduced in May 1995 as a proof of concept demonstrator. The RQ-1A/B Predator is a system, not just an aircraft. The fully operational system consists of four air vehicles (with sensors), a ground control station (GCS), a Predator primary satellite link communication suite and 55 people.



The Predator air vehicle and sensors are commanded and controlled by its GCS via a C-band line-of-sight data link or a Ku-band satellite data link for beyond-line-of-sight operations. During flight operations the crew in the GCS is an air vehicle operator and three sensor operators. The aircraft is equipped with a color nose camera (generally used by the air vehicle operator for flight control), a day variable aperture TV camera, a variable aperture infrared camera (for low light/night) and a synthetic aperture radar for looking through smoke, clouds or haze. The cameras produce full motion video and the synthetic aperture radar produces still frame radar images. On the RQ-1B, either the daylight variable aperture or the infrared electro-optical sensor may be operated simultaneously with the synthetic aperture radar.



Since introduction, the Predator has performed over 600 missions in support of peacekeeping operations in Bosnia. The Predator was deployed to Kosovo in 1999 as part of the air war. During this deployment the Predator performed intelligence gathering, target acquisition and tracking, and battlefield coordination.



Based on lessons learned in the Kosovo air war, where the lapse of time between target acquisition and the arrival of aircraft to destroy the target was so great that many targets were able to evade destruction, the Predator was armed with AGM-114 Hellfire laser guided missiles. In a February 2001 test, a Hellfire armed Predator successfully engaged and destroyed a target tank at Indian Springs auxiliary airfield in Nevada.



In October 2001 Hellfire capable Predators were deployed to Afghanistan to perform intelligence gathering, target acquisition, tracking, and, when armed, attack missions.







Description: The Predator air vehicle is a single wing, single engine platform. The fuselage is slender, except for the bulbous nose which houses most of the vehicles sensors. The single wing is centrally mounted low on the body and is of a high aspect ratio design. The motor is a Rotax 912 four-cylinder engine, which runs on 100-octane gasoline, produces 81 horsepower and is mounted in the tail section of the aircraft in a pusher configuration. The two rear "tailerons" are mounted in an inverted configuration on the fuselage just forward of the engine.







?General Characteristics, RQ-1 Predator MAE UAV





Prime Contractor:

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Incorporated







Power Plant:

Rotax 912 four cylinder 100 octane aviation gasoline engine; 81 horsepower







Wingspan:

48.7 feet (14.8 meters)







Length:

27 feet (8.22 meters)







Height:

6.9 feet (2.1 meters)







Service Ceiling:

25,000 feet (7,620 meters)







Speed:

Cruising: 84 mph (70 knots)

Maximum: 140 mph (120 knots)







Range:

454 miles (726 km)















Endurance:

16 hours on station at maximum range







Sensors:

Versatron Skyball Model 18 electro-optic/infrared with a zoom lens and a spotter lens.



Westinghouse 783R234 synthetic aperture radar







Weight:

Empty: 950 lbs.(431kg)

Gross: 2,250 lbs.(1,020.6 kg)







Load:

450 pounds (204.1 kilograms)







Unit Cost:

$25 million







Date Deployed:

May 1995