Predator Variant Provides Upgraded ISR Capabilities,
Weaponry
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems told ANN Thursday the first
Sky Warrior unmanned aerial vehicle flew successfully from the
company’s El Mirage Flight Operations Facility in Adelanto,
CA on June 6. The company-owned Block 0 aircraft completed all
stated objectives for its maiden flight.
"We are very pleased with Sky Warrior’s flawless
performance on its first flight," said Thomas J. Cassidy, Jr.,
president, Aircraft Systems Group, General Atomics Aeronautical
Systems, Inc. "Its success credits the remarkable talents of our
many dedicated Team Warrior professionals and marks an important
step in our commitment to provide the US Army with this most
capable combat aircraft. Sky Warrior aircraft will play a key role
supporting Army forces worldwide for years to come."
The flight marked an important milestone in the successful
execution of GA-ASI's multi-year contract for the US Army's
Extended Range/Multi-Purpose (ER/MP) Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS)
Program. Built in essentially the same configuration as the Sky
Warrior UAS being developed for the ER/MP Program, additional Sky
Warrior Block 0 aircraft will be produced to demonstrate the
maturity of the technology being incorporated into the program.
These aircraft will deploy to Southwest Asia early next year to
showcase the capability of the design to support the development
phase of ER/MP. The deployment will also provide an accelerated
capability of the program to support deployed Army combat
troops.
A derivative of the successful Predator UAV, the Sky Warrior
aircraft provides the US Army with a reliable, cost-effective
solution for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR)
and tactical strike operations, according to GA-ASI. The aircraft
will perform long-endurance, surveillance, communications relay,
and weapons delivery missions with double the weapons capacity of
Predator.
Featuring a Heavy Fuel Engine (HFE) for increased supportability
in the field, Sky Warrior can fly above 29,000 feet on jet or
diesel fuel with increased horsepower and significantly improved
fuel efficiency. The HFE power plant also reduces maintenance
costs, offers increased service life, and greatly simplifies
logistics by ensuring a more readily available fuel source.
The aircraft is also equipped with triple redundant avionics,
redundant flight controls/surfaces, and electro-optical/infra-red
(EO/IR) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) payloads.