Breaking news
General Atomics wins contract to deliver 8 additional MQ-9 Reaper UAVs the US Air Force 4005154.
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World
Aviation Defense & Security Industry News - General Atomics |
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| General Atomics wins contract to deliver 8 additional MQ-9 Reaper UAVs to the US Air Force | |||
General
Atomics - Aeronautical Systems Inc. has been awarded a $72,068,072 contract
to produce eight additional MQ-9 Reaper Block 5 production configuration
unmanned aerial aircraft. Work will be performed at Poway, California,
and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2017, the US Department of
Defense announced today, May 21. |
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 USAF MQ-9 Reaper Unmanned Aerial Vehicle |
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The
MQ-9 Reaper is an armed, multi-mission, medium-altitude, long-endurance
remotely piloted aircraft that is employed primarily as an intelligence-collection
asset and secondarily against dynamic execution targets. Given its significant
loiter time, wide-range sensors, multi-mode communications suite, and
precision weapons -- it provides a unique capability to perform strike,
coordination, and reconnaissance against high-value, fleeting, and time-sensitive
targets. The MQ-9 baseline system carries the Multi-Spectral Targeting System, which has a robust suite of visual sensors for targeting. The MTS-B integrates an infrared sensor, color/monochrome daylight TV camera, image-intensified TV camera, laser designator, and laser illuminator. The full-motion video from each of the imaging sensors can be viewed as separate video streams or fused. The unit also incorporates a laser range finder/designator, which precisely designates targets for employment of laser-guided munitions, such as the Guided Bomb Unit-12 Paveway II. The Reaper is also equipped with a synthetic aperture radar to enable future GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions targeting. The MQ-9 can also employ four laser-guided missiles, Air-to-Ground Missile-114 Hellfire, which possess highly accurate, low-collateral damage, anti-armor and anti-personnel engagement capabilities. In April 2015, 104 MQ-9B Reapers were currently in use in the US Air Force, on a total of 396 ordered. |
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