Over 85 Percent Of All Missions Flown In Combat
The Predator-series UAS has reached a historic milestone, with
combat missions over the past weekend pushing the aircraft family
over the one million flight hours mark, General Atomics
Aeronautical announced last week. The total encompasses just under
80,000 total missions, with over 85-percent of all missions flown
in combat.
Predator
"The business of GA-ASI is the development of transformational
systems which deliver paradigm changing results," said J. Neal
Blue, Chairman and CEO, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.
"The achievement of this historic milestone is a testament to the
success enjoyed by Predator-series unmanned aircraft systems -
clearly one of the game changers and life savers of the day."
The identification of the specific aircraft and customer that
achieved the milestone will not be known until mid-May due to
delayed flight hours reporting from the field. Predator-series UAS
are in constant daily operations supporting the U.S. Air Force,
U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, NASA,
the Italian Air Force, the U.K.'s Royal Air Force, and other
customers. Over 400 aircraft have been produced since the first
Predator UAS took flight in 1994, including Predator A, I-GNAT
ER/Sky Warrior Alpha, Predator B/MQ-9 Reaper, Sky Warrior, and
Predator C Avenger, among others.
On Display At Oshkosh
"This combined customer accomplishment reflects the high demand
that in-theater commanders have for the Predator product, as well
as the exceptional contributions of our employees, suppliers, and
partners," said Frank Pace, newly appointed president of GA-ASI's
Aircraft Systems Group.
Predator-series flight hours have seen tremendous growth in
recent years, with annual totals increasing from 80,000 hours in
2006, to 130,000 hours in 2007, 235,000 hours in 2008, and 295,000
hours in 2009. The one million flight hours milestone also comes at
a time of great synergy for GA-ASI and its major customers, with
the U.S. Air Force announcing on March 12 that it has surpassed
700,000 flight hours for the MQ-1B Predator UAS and the U.S. Army
revealing that it is on track to mark one million flight hours for
its UAS inventory this month.
Predator Avenger
"As Col. Greg Gonzalez and Maj. Gen. James Myles noted in
announcing the Army's upcoming UAS flight hours milestone, the real
achievement is what one million represents - one million hours of
operating a technology that keeps our soldiers safer and enables
them and their commanders to see the enemy and themselves in ways
they never could before," added Pace.
Predator-series aircraft are currently logging nearly 30,000
flight hours a month supporting U.S. coalition forces in combat and
with homeland security requirements.