General Atomics shows latest entry in Predator UAV series

UAVs are becoming more important in military and law enforcement missions, so we should keep an eye on UAV-related developments. San Diego General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., an important player in the unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) market, has introduced its next generation aircraft in its popular Predator UAS series, Predator C Avenger. The first flight of the new multimission jet-powered Avenger took place on 4 April at the company’s Gray Butte Flight Operations Facility in Palmdale, California, with the aircraft landing without any discrepancies and ready to fly again once refueled. The company says that subsequent flights were successfully executed on 13 April and 14 April, with the test program now ongoing.

“Following in the footsteps of the proven Predator B, Avenger adds yet another flexible and multi-mission capability to the Predator UAS series and is a testament to GA-ASI’s continuing practice of developing and delivering proven unmanned aircraft to military customers,” said Thomas Cassidy Jr., president of Aircraft Systems Group at General Atomics. “Our company has been uniquely successful in forecasting military needs and delivering extremely capable unmanned aircraft that are ready for near-term military use. Just as the first two Predator B aircraft were developed and flown on IRAD [Internal Research and Development] funding because we saw the need for this type of capability, likewise, Avenger was developed through foresight and significant company investment provided by our Chairman and CEO, Neal Blue.”

Avenger was designed and developed with the intent of making a UAS that was more survivable in higher threat environments and to provide the U.S. Air Force and other potential customers with an expanded quick-response armed reconnaissance capability. The aircraft will have higher operational and transit speeds than current Predator-series aircraft, resulting in fast response and rapid repositioning for improved mission flexibility and survivability. Wide-area surveillance, armed reconnaissance, border surveillance, time-sensitive strike, and quick response capability missions for use against conventional and asymmetric threats — such as terrorists or pirates — are among its key missions.

Avenger’s new capabilities complement those of Predator/MQ-1 Predators and Predator B/MQ-9 Reapers by expanding the operational envelope of this series of aircraft. Predator/MQ-1 provides the high-flight endurance levels required on certain missions; Predator B/MQ-9 features a large weapons carriage capability, coupled with long endurance, as well as maritime surveillance; and now Predator C rounds out the flexibility of these aircraft systems with quick response armed reconnaissance.

The aircraft is slightly larger than Predator B, incorporates a certified pure jet powerplant (Pratt & Whitney’s PW545B), and can carry the same mix of weapons as Predator B.

The Avenger is not small. With a 41-foot long fuselage and 66-foot wingspan, Avenger is capable of flying at over 400 KTAS and can operate up to 60,000 feet. Aircraft sensors will include a GA-ASI Lynx Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and various Electro-optical/Infrared (EO/IR) camera systems. A system based on Lockheed Martin’s F-35 FLIR is currently being evaluated, as well as an in-house full-motion video sensor. A pure reconnaissance version will be capable of carrying a wide-area surveillance system internally for special mission applications.

“Avenger further defines the level of technical innovation that American companies are capable of producing, and this kind of company initiative saves the government extensive amounts of money and development time while providing the war fighter with new combat systems quickly,” noted Cassidy. “This aircraft was designed, developed, and successfully flown while concurrently developing Sky Warrior for the U.S. Army, adding new capabilities to MQ-9 Reaper for the Air Force, and satisfying high-volume/accelerating orders for Predator-series UAS.”