laststandonzombieisland

Just looking at the UAVs of the USAF, the General Atomics drones have seen remarkable increase

First was the Predator,

Now known as the RQ-1 Predators, was the first effective modern UAV. It has been used as the USAFs entry into armed UAVs and is the main ‘dirty deeds done dirt cheap’ tool of the CIA. Weighing 2350-pounds, measuring 27-feet long with a 48-foot wingspan, it was the size of a small crop-duster. Powered by a fuel-sipping turbocharged four-cylinder engine, 115 hp engine, it was about as fast as a crop duster, going about 117-knots, but could range out to 675-miles and remain in flight for up to 24-hours.

It is some 16 years old, first being fielded in 1995. In 2001, it was figured out that you could rig a couple of Hellfires to the little guy and create a remote control strike aircraft. Dubbed the MQ-1, the combination of a small, quiet drone and the hard-hitting 100-pound Hellfire that can fly a dozen miles away at supersonic speeds meant that targets had little warning before meeting Allah.  Early unarmed variants cost $4-million apiece and the final armed ones nearly $10-million.

360 were built, and in March 2011, the line was closed. Of the 360, 285 were the unarmed RQ-1 variants and only 75 were of the MQ-1 armed version.  It is thought that the USAF only retains about 150 or so operational versions of all types, having lost as many as 70 in operations over Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan as well as many additional craft to accidents. The 3rd Special Operations Squadron at Cannon Air Force Base, 11th, 15th, and 17th Reconnaissance Squadrons, Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, and the Air National Guard’s 163d Reconnaissance Wing at March Air Reserve Base, California, currently operate the MQ-1. It is unknown how many the CIA operates.

It is thought that the CIA maintains as many as 30 of the RQ-MQ-1 UAVs, often maintained and flown by contractors who are former USAF personnel with extensive experience at the joystick. These aircraft maintain a high degree of deniablity, a small footprint, and with the much more flexible rules of engagement given the CIA, are responsible for many of the best hits on top terrorist leadership in the past ten years.

Then there was the Reaper (aka Predator B)

Like a Predator on steroids, the MQ-9 Reaper looks identical, only much bigger. It is 36 feet long and has a 66-foot long wingspan. When compared to modern combat aircraft it is larger than the A-10 Warthog (who has a 53-foot length and a 57-foot wingspan). However the Reaper is still powered by its 950-shaft-horsepower (712 kW) turboprop engine (almost 8-times as powerful as the Predator)  its low weight (10500-pounds maximum takeoff, or about as heavy as a Cessna) allow it to carry out missions that last from 14-42 hours depending on the stores carried.

At 38-million per craft (due to 2011 price of US$154.4 million that includes 4 aircraft US$30.3 million/aircraft, ground control stations, and Predator Primary Satellite Link), the Predator is an expensive little thing.  The USAF wants to buy 329 Reapers all told. As of March 2011, the U.S. Air Force had 48 Predator and Reaper combat air patrols flying in Iraq and Afghanistan compared with 18 in 2007. Current operators include the  432d Air Expeditionary Wing and the 556th Test and Evaluation Squadron (Creech Air Force Base, Nevada), the 49th Wing (Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico), the 53d Wing (Eglin Air Force Base, Florida), 27th Special Operations Wing, 58th Special Operations Wing, and the 174th Fighter Wing of the New York Air National Guard (Hancock Field, New York) RAF, Italy, Turkey, and the Department of Homeland Security.

The fully fueled MQ-9 can carry up to 1600-pounds of weapons on a variety of weapons on six stores pylons including the GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bomb, the AGM-114 Hellfire II air-to-ground missiles, the AIM-9 Sidewinder, and recently, the GBU-38 JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition). As a big-time bunker-buster and tank killer, the Predator can carry as many as 14 Hellfire’s at once, rivaling the Army’s AH-64 Apache, and remain on target persistently.

Now you have the Avenger (aka Predator C)

At $15-million a pop (which surely is a low-ball figure compared to the price of the Reaper), these are a jet powered UAV, that looks like the regular Predator and Avenger with said exception. However, it is much larger: It still has the same 66-foot wingspan of the Reaper but with an overall length of 44 feet and a maximum takeoff weight of 15,800 pounds, the Avenger can carry more weaponry than its predecessors can. So much in fact that it can carry multiple 500-lb. bombs with a GBU-38 JDAM tail kit and laser guidance inside its stealthy F-22/F-35 style weapons bay.

Also theoretically possible is 2,000-pound LGBs and very sexy missiles including possibly Harpoon and that old Cold-War favorite the AGM-86 ALCM, if mounted externally. Current expectations are that “the 375 Air Launched Cruise Missile will be retained through FY-20 with an option through FY-30,” the official said in an e-mailed response, released on condition of anonymity. “Presently, ALCM is mission-ready and sustainable through 2030.” At 3,000 pound, the ALCM is a big boy but being able to carry a tactical nuke or a 1200-pound advance unitary penetrating warhead as far away as 1500-miles from launch makes the ALCM very dangerous to certain Red Flag countries. Coupled with the fact that many ALCMs are forward deployed to Guam, and Guam is currently the site of extensive UAV operations, provides a moment of pause.

With its low power, Pratt & Whitney developed and S-shaped reduced IR exhaust, the Avenger can break 400kts airspeed and maintain 20-hour endurance.

Aviation Week reports that the Avenger has the capability to be launched and retrieved from an aircraft carrier, so a naval version could be coming to a carrier near you.

It should be remembered that the price of an F-16 Block 52 manned fighter-bomber is about $9.73 million per plane (price amortization in 2008 when Morocco bought 24 for 233.6 million), no now the Avenger had passed the price of manned third generating fighters. However, it is still nowhere near the price of high-end strike aircraft such as the $30-million is F-15E (judging from the 2011 Saudi Tender) and the ultra-modern F-22, whose last four examples cost the USAF $137-million apiece. Of course it is unlikely that any Avenger could be a dog-fighter in the traditional Top Gun sense due to low situational awareness (it had been likened to flying remotely while looking through a soda-straw and an operator’s command takes 1.2 seconds to reach the drone via a satellite link.)

Still, it is a capable long range strike aircraft with that can be risked on missions that  have a low-probability of success without chancing the life of a live pilot.

For Comparison see the below chart

	RQ-1 PREADATOR	MQ-1 ARMED PREDATOR	MQ-9 REAPER	AVENGER/PREDATOR C
YEAR INTRODUCED	1995	2001	2001, squadron use 2007	2009 first flight
WEIGHT EMPTY	1130-pounds	1350-pounds	4900-pounds	unknown
WEIGHT MAXIMUM	2250-pounds	2250-pounds	10,500-pounds	15,800-pounds
WINGSPAN	47-feet	55.25-feet	66-feet	66-feet, partially swept
LENGTH	27-feet	27-feet	36-feet	41-feet
SPEED	135 kts max, 81-cruise	135 kts max, 81-cruise	260-kts max, 150-cruise	460-knots
RANGE	675-nm	675-nm	1000-nm	unknown
ENDURANCE	upto 24 hours	upto 24 hours	upto 28 hours	20-hours
COST	$4-million	$10-million	$38-million	$15-million estimate
NUMBER BUILT	285	75	orders for 329 for USAF	testing
ENGINE	115hp Rotax	115hp Rotax	950-hp turboprop	turbojet with 4800-pounds thrust
ARMARMENT	NONE	2 AGM-114 Hellfires	Up to 1,500 lb (680 kg) on the two inboard weapons stations including GBU-32 JDAM laser guided 1000-pound bombs	3000-pounds in internal 10-foot long bomb bay to include GBU-31, GBU-24 and GBU-38 JDAMS and Laser guided bombs and others
		or 6 Griffin missiles	Up to 750 lb (340 kg) on the two middle stations including 500-pound Paveway Laser guided bombs,
			Up to 150 lb (68 kg) on the outboard stations, including Hellfire and Stinger