Predator
Abstract
The basic MQ-1/MQ-9 system consists of the aircraft, a control station, and the communications support equipment and personnel required to operate, maintain, and sustain the system. The system is designed to be modular and open-ended: mission-specific equipment is employed in a 'plug-and-play' mission kit concept allowing specific aircraft and control station configurations to be tailored to fit mission needs. The MQ-1 Predator aircraft is a single-engine, propeller-driven, remotely piloted aircraft designed to operate over-the- horizon at medium altitude for long endurance sorties. The aircraft is designed to provide real-time Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Target Acquisition (ISR TA) and attack roles to aggressively prosecute Time Sensitive Targets (TST). The MQ-1 will operate primarily at medium altitudes, integrating with joint aerospace, ground, and maritime forces as well as coalition and Allied forces, to execute combatant commander priority missions. The aircraft carries a Multi-spectral Targeting System (MTS) (a sensor turret that incorporates electro-optical (EO), Infra-Red (IR), laser designator/range-finder, and IR illuminator) capable of transmitting real-time motion imagery throughout the operational theater. Additionally the aircraft is multi-configurable to carry either a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) or Hellfire laser-guided missiles. The MQ-1 aircraft will continue to evolve and upgrade the MQ-1's capabilities to satisfy new requirements and address reliability and maintainability (R&M) issues as they arise. The MQ-9 Predator B aircraft is a single-engine, turbo-prop remotely piloted aircraft designed to operate over-the-horizon at medium-to-high altitude for long endurance sorties. The aircraft will be designed primarily to prosecute critical emerging TSTs as a radar-based attack asset with organic hard-kill capability (hunter-killer) and also perform ISR TA as a secondary role. In the hunter killer role, the aircraft will employ fused multi-spectral sensors to automatically find, fix, and track ground targets (Automatic Target Cueing (ATC)) and assess post-strike results. The MQ-9 is in continuing development. Flight characterization evaluation of the original off-the-shelf, prototype aircraft is complete. The next step will be to develop and test a 'baseline' capable system and includes both a risk reduction phase and a System Development & Demonstration (SDD) phase. Risk reduction started in FY03 and includes system design, drawings, specifications, and MIL-STD-1760 efforts. The SDD phase begins in FY04 and includes developing and testing the MQ-9's baseline capability. The baseline capability will include increasing the aircraft's gross take-off weight; enhancing aircraft systems to include integrated redundant avionics, ice detection capability, navigation system upgrades, electrical system upgrades, secure data links, sensor/stores management computer, MIL-STD-1760 advanced weapons data bus, advanced sensor and weapons payloads, and improved human-machine interface; integrating standard 'precision' weapons (GBU-12/38); hardware and software upgrades to the GCS for MQ-9 operations; completing airworthiness certification and accreditation; and producing applicable training devices that emulate aircraft capabilities. Subsequent block upgrades will continue to evolve the MQ-9's capabilities to satisfy new requirements and address R&M issues as they arise. Approximately 15 Predator B aircraft will be purchased prior to completion of SDD due to Congressional and OSD funding adds. To maintain a basic operational capability, these aircraft will require reliability/maintainability and P3I development to keep them viable. Much of this development will be common to MQ-1 R&M and P3I development. The Ground Control Station (GCS) functions as the aircraft cockpit and can control the aircraft either within line-of-sight (LOS) or beyond LOS (BLOS) via a combination of satellite relay and terrestrial communications. The GCS is either mobile to support forward operating locations or at a fixed facility to support Remote Split Operations (RSO). A mobile GCS is containerized for deployability while a fixed facility GCS consists of similar capability in a permanent facility. The GCS has the capability to perform mission planning; provide a means for manual and/or autonomous control of multiple aircraft and payloads; allow personnel to launch, recover, and monitor aircraft, payloads, and system communications status; secure data links to receive payload sensor data and command links; monitor threats to the aircraft; display common operation picture; and provide support functions. Additionally, a Launch and Recover GCS (LRGCS) allows for servicing, systems checks, maintaining, launching, and recovering aircraft under LOS control for hand off to a mobile or fixed GCS. The GCS will continue to evolve and upgrade its capabilities to fully support the MQ-1 and MQ-9 aircraft and the missions they perform. This program is budget activity 7, Operational Systems Development, because it involves Air Force R&D to field a highly capable operational system and provide essential operational capabilities.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Project
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2011
- Source ID
- 675143_0305219F_7_3600_PB_2011
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