MQ-1C Sky-Warrior is an Extended-Range Multi-Purpose (ERMP) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) under development by General Atomics (GA), funded by United States Army. It is an upgrade of the MQ-1 Predator. A Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAV, the Sky-Warrior has an increased wingspan and is powered by a Thielert "Centurion" Heavy Fuel Engine (HFE), which gives it better performance at high altitudes (it is essentially a piston/diesel engine which burns jet fuel). It will be capable of operating for 36 hours at altitudes up to 25,000 feet (7,600 m),[1] with an operating range of 200 nautical miles (400 km).[2] The aircraft's nose fairing has been enlarged to house a Synthetic Aperture Radar/Ground Moving Target Indicator (SAR-GMTI) system, and targeting is also provided with a Multi-Spectral Targeting System (MTS) AN/AAS-52 under the nose. The aircraft can carry a payload of 800 pounds and is armed with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and GBU-44/B Viper Strike guided bomb.[2]
Development history
The U.S. Army initiated the Extended-Range Multi-Purpose UAV competition in 2002, with the winning aircraft due to replace the MQ-5 Hunter. Two aircraft were entered, an upgraded version of the MQ-5 Hunter, and the Sky-Warrior. In August 2005, the Army announced the Sky-Warrior to be the winner and awarded a $214 million contract for system development and demonstration. The Army intends to procure 11 Sky-Warrior systems, each of these units has 12 UAVs and 5 ground control stations. With an expected total program cost of $1 billion, the aircraft is expected to become operational in 2009.[1] The Army sought to designate the Sky-Warrior as the MQ-12, however the United States Department of Defense allocated the designation MQ-1C instead.[3]
References
- ^ a b "Army awards ‘Sky-Warrior’ long-range UAV contract", Army News Service, 2005-08-05.
- ^ a b "ERMP Extended-Range Multi-Purpose UAV", Defense Update, 2006-11-01.
- ^ Designation Systems article
