Army UAS Offers Increased Range, Altitude, Endurance &
Payload Flexibility
Unmanned aerial systems manufacturer General Atomics
Aeronautical Systems, Inc. told ANN this week about the successful
March 31 flight of the first Sky Warrior Block 1 aircraft for the
US Army's Extended Range/Multi-Purpose (ER/MP) UAS Program from the
company's El Mirage Flight Operations Facility in Adelanto, CA.
"Army tactical commanders at the division level and below are
now one step closer to having the RSTA [Reconnaissance,
Surveillance, and Target Acquisition] information they need to
offer increased protection to their troops on the ground," said
Thomas J. Cassidy, Jr., president, Aircraft Systems Group, General
Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. "This milestone event was a
collaborative effort between GA-ASI and our PM-UAS customer.
Jointly, this team planned and executed a methodical approach to
first flight success."
The first flight of the Sky Warrior Block 1 aircraft marks
continued progress towards the successful implementation of the
Systems Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase of GA-ASI's
multi-year contract for the ER/MP UAS Program, which calls for 17
Sky Warrior aircraft and seven One System Ground Control Stations
(OSGCS). The total program, including follow-on production,
is estimated to be worth over $2 billion. Other key "Team Sky
Warrior" partners include AAI Corporation (OSGCS), SPARTA, Inc.
(logistics support services), and L-3 Com/Communications
Systems-West (TCDL and SATCOM
communications).
A derivative of the combat-proven Predator UAV, the
sophisticated Sky Warrior aircraft provides the US Army with a
reliable and affordable solution to meet challenging Army
requirements for persistent RSTA and attack operations. The
aircraft will perform long-endurance, surveillance, communications
relay, and weapons delivery missions with double the weapons
capacity of Predator. Featuring a Heavy Fuel Engine (HFE) for
increased supportability in the field, Sky Warrior can fly above
25,000 feet on jet or diesel fuel with increased horsepower and
significantly improved fuel efficiency.
The HFE powerplant also reduces maintenance costs, offers
increased service life, and greatly simplifies logistics by
ensuring a more readily available fuel source. The aircraft is also
equipped with triple redundant avionics, redundant flight
controls/surfaces, and electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) and
synthetic aperture radar (SAR) payloads.