The USAF awarded a further contract for the system design and development (SDD) of MQ-9 Reaper Hunter / Killer in March 2005. Two more systems were ordered in October 2006, for monitoring operations on the border with Canada.
The first was delivered in late 2005, the second in September 2006.
The US Department of Homeland Security / Customs and Border Protection (DHS / CBP) ordered two Predator B systems for monitoring of the US’ south-west border, in August 2005. GA-ASI received $195.5m in funding from the US Army for the low-rate initial production of the Sky Warrior unmanned aircraft in July 2010. The initial operating capability was achieved in 2009, while two Block 0 Sky Warrior UAVs were deployed to Iraq in April 2008. In August 2005, a version of Predator B called Sky Warrior was chosen for the four-year system development and demonstration (SDD) phase of the US Army’s extended range / multi-purpose (ER / MP) UAV programme, comprising 11 Sky Warrior systems, each with 12 air vehicles and five ground control stations.
#Uav drone predator upgrade
The upgrade also covered a more powerful turbocharged engine and wing de-icing systems to enable year-round operations. System upgrades included the development of an improved relief-on-station (ROS) system which allows continuous coverage over areas of interest without any loss of time on station, secure air traffic control voice relay, Ku-band satellite tuning and the implementation of an air force mission support system (AFMSS). In May 1998, General Atomics, the parent company of GA-ASI, was awarded a Block 1 upgrade contract to expand the capabilities of the Predator system. Command users are able to task the payload operator in real-time for images or video on demand. Video signals received in the ground control station are passed to the Trojan Spirit van for worldwide intelligence distribution or directly to operational users via a commercial global broadcast system. The mission can be controlled through line-of-site data links or through Ku-band satellite links to produce continuous video. The take-off and landing length is typically 609.6m (2,000ft). Predator follows a conventional launch sequence from a semi-prepared surface under direct line-of-sight control. The aircraft are expected to be delivered in late 2023. The air vehicle is equipped with ultra-high frequency (UHF) and very high frequency (VHF) radio relay links, a C-band line-of-sight data link, which has a range of 277.8km (150nm), and UHF and Ku-band satellite data links.Marine Corps (USMC) in May 2022. The endurance of the air vehicle is more than 40 hours, while the cruise speed is more than 129.6km/h (70kt). The system operates at an altitude of 7,620m (25,000ft) and at a range of 740.8km (400nm). The Predator air vehicle is 8.2m (27ft) long and has a 14.9m (49ft) wingspan. System components of Predator UAVĪ typical Predator system configuration includes four aircraft, one ground control system and one Trojan Spirit II data distribution terminal. GA-ASI received a contract from the US Navy to supply eight MQ-9A extended range (ER) UAVs for the US Marine Corps (USMC) in May 2022. The UAS can distribute surveillance imagery from synthetic aperture radar, video cameras and a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) in real-time both to the front-line soldier and to the operational commander, or worldwide via satellite communication links. Armed with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, the MQ-1 is a multi-role platform used for armed reconnaissance and interdiction.
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