RQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle UAV data sheet specifications description pictures photos

 
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RQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle UAV Drone
 
 
RQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle UAV data sheet specifications information description intelligence identification pictures photos images US Army United States American defence industry Law enforcement homeland security vehicle
 

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Description  
The RQ-1 Predator Medium Altitude Endurance (MAE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was developed as an Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) from January 1994 to June 1996. The Predator system is composed of three parts: the air vehicle (a derivative of the Gnat 750) with its associated sensors and communications equipment, the ground control station (GCS), and the product or data dissemination system. One Predator system has four air vehicles with sensors and data links, one Ground Control Station (GCS), and one Trojan Spirit II SATCOM system. The "R" is the Department of Defense designation for reconnaissance; "Q" means unmanned aircraft system. The "1" refers to it being the first of a series of purpose-built unmanned reconnaissance aircraft systems. An "A" or "B" that follows the 1 states the version of the RQ-1 system series. The RQ-1 Predator system was designed in response to a Department of Defense requirement to provide persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information to the warfighter. General Atomics' RQ-1A/Predator® first flew in Jun 94, 9 months after approval as DARPA's Medium Altitude Endurance (MAE, or Tier 2) UAV ACTD (Oct 94) and 6 months after contract award (Jan 94). Its design evolved from the earlier Amber and Gnat 750 UAVs. Deployed overseas during its ACTD, it flew reconnaissance missions over Bosnia for Operations Provide Promise (Jul-Nov 95), then later for Joint Endeavor (Mar 96-Dec 97), and Deliberate Guard (Mar 98-present) and had accumulated 10,400 hrs by Nov 98. The U.S. Air Force has contracted for 12 systems (four aircraft each) and has formed two Predator units, the 11th and the 15th Reconnaissance Squadrons, based at Indian Springs AAF, NV. France also operates Predators as the Horus UAV. Maritime and comm relay variants have also been explored.
 
 Variants :
 
Technical data 
Armament
The RQ-1 Predator can be armed with Hellfire missiles (MQ-1B). Over 9900 kg of weapons can be fitted to the RQ-1 Predator, including AGM-114 Hellfire II ASMs and possibly later the FIM-92 Stinger AAMs, GBU-38 500 lb JDAMs, 500 lb GBU-12 LGBs, AGM-65 Maverick ASMs, AIM-9 Sidewinder AAMs and AIM-120 AMRAAMs
Design
Each Predator aircraft can be disassembled into six main components and loaded into a container nicknamed "the coffin." This enables all system components and support equipment to be rapidly deployed worldwide. The largest component is the GCS and it is designed to be rolled into a C-130. The air transportable PPSL consists of a 6.25 meter Ku-Band satellite system mounted on a trailer. It provides communications between the ground station and the aircraft when it is beyond line-of-sight and is a link into secondary intelligence dissemination networks. The RQ-1B system needs 5,000 feet by 125 feet (1,524 meters by 38 meters) of hard surface runway with clear line-of-sight to each end from the GCS to the air vehicles.
Mobility
The air vehicle is a mid-wing monoplane with a slender fuselage housing the payload and fuel, a high aspect ratio wing, and inverted-V tails. A four-cylinder Rotax engine that requires 100-octane aviation gas powers the air vehicle. According to the The Air Force Fact Sheet the RQ-1A needs 5,000 by 125 feet of a hard surface runway. The endurance of the air vehicle is more than 40 hours and the cruise speed is over 70kt.
Accessories
The RQ-1 Predator is equipped with UHF and VHF radio relay links, a C-band line-of-sight data link which has a range of 150nm and UHF and Ku-band satellite data links.
Combat use
A fully operational system RQ-1 Predator consists of four aircraft (with sensors), a ground control station (GCS), a Predator Primary Satellite Link (PPSL), and 55 personnel for continuous 24 hour operations. The basic crew for the Predator is one pilot and two sensor operators. They fly the aircraft from inside the GCS via a C-Band line-of-sight data link or a Ku-Band satellite data link for beyond line-of-sight flight. The aircraft is equipped with a color nose camera (generally used by the aerial vehicle operator for flight control), a day variable aperture TV camera, a variable aperture infrared camera (for low light/night), and a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for looking through smoke, clouds, or haze. The cameras produce full motion video and the SAR still frame radar images. The three sensors are carried on the same airframe but cannot be operated simultaneously.
 
Specifications
 
Armament
Hellfire missile, Maverick missile, AIM_9 Sidewinder, and AIM-120 AMRAAMs.
Country users
United States, Italy
Designer Country
United States
Accessories
Colour TX, infared camera, laser target designator and rangefinder, ECM/ESM, moving target indicator, communications relay, C-band LOS, UHF and Ku-band satellite datalink, UHF and VHF radio, data distribution system.
Operator
3, 1 pilot and two sensor operators.
Altitude
7,620 m
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Weight
1,020 kg
Speed
217 km/h
Range
40 hours
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Dimensions
Lenght: 8,2 m; Wingspan: 14,84 m; Height: 2,1 m
 
 
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RQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle UAV data sheet specifications information description intelligence identification pictures photos images US Army United States American defence industry Law enforcement homeland security vehicle
 
RQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle UAV data sheet specifications information description intelligence identification pictures photos images US Army United States American defence industry Law enforcement homeland security vehicle
RQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle UAV data sheet specifications information description intelligence identification pictures photos images US Army United States American defence industry Law enforcement homeland security vehicle
   
RQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle UAV data sheet specifications information description intelligence identification pictures photos images US Army United States American defence industry Law enforcement homeland security vehicle RQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle UAV data sheet specifications information description intelligence identification pictures photos images US Army United States American defence industry Law enforcement homeland security vehicle
 
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