THEN & NOW
Te RQ-2 Pioneer became the first small inexpensive UAV in the modern Ameri- can military forces.
Significant advancements in drone tech- nology continued through the 1990s, particularly with the development of the RQ-1 Predator, by General Atomics Aero- nautical Systems, which was capable of flying over dangerous areas for extended periods. Originally designed for recon- naissance, the Predator was equipped with surveillance capabilities, and the intro- duction of satellite communication links allowed for remote piloting and real-time data transmission over long distances.
SKY’S THE LIMIT LETHALITY While the potential for UAVs has been recognized for decades, the 21st century marked the significant transformation of drones into formidable tools of warfare.
In 2002, the RQ-1 Predator was fitted with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, transform- ing it into the MQ-1 Predator, capable of conducting precision strikes. Its use played a crucial role in targeted strikes in conflict zones like Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan during the Global War on Terror.
But perhaps one of the most widely recog- nized military drones is the MQ-9 Reaper, known for its long endurance, high-alti- tude operations and ability to carry a variety of weapons. Te Reaper is a larger and more heavily armed version of the MQ-1 Predator and is often referred to as a hunter-killer drone. Its primary use is for attacking time-sensitive targets, but it’s also used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
While the Predator’s role is to focus on targets and provide situational awareness for pilots, the RQ-Global Hawk provides much broader systematic surveillance using high resolution synthetic aperture
REAPING BENEFITS
A remotely piloted MQ-9 Reaper from the 163rd Attack Wing sits in a 178th Wing hanger on Springfield-Beckley Air National Guard Base, Ohio, March 12, 2024. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Thomas Moeger, U.S. Army National Guard)
radar and long-range electro-optical/ infrared sensors. Te Hawk, technically a UAS—equipped for safe and efficient operation without direct human inter- vention in or on the aircraft—can hover at altitudes of 60,000 feet over target areas for long periods of time (greater than 30 hours), in all kinds of weather, and can survey as much as 100,000 km2
a day— an area three times the size of Maryland.
In contrast, the RQ-11 Raven, manufac- tured by AeroVironment, Inc. is a small, portable, hand-launched UAS designed for rapid deployment and high-mobility mostly for military operations like low altitude reconnaissance, surveillance and autonomous operation.
Te Raven provides forward deployed units with real-time, up to date and over- the-horizon views, and delivers color or infrared video via three cameras in its nose
section without having to put Soldiers in harm’s way. It has a flight time of 80 minutes and an effective range about 10 km (or 6.2 miles) and can even stand by itself. AeroVironment claims Raven to be “the most widely used UAS in the world today, with over 20,000 units sold.”
SIGN OF TRANSITORY TIMES As a sign of the changing times, in 2008, the New York Air National Guard 174th Attack Wing became the first fighter unit to transition to entirely unmanned combat, trading their F-16 cockpits for air- conditioned trailers in the desert, where they remotely piloted MQ-9 Reapers—as depicted in the 2015 movie “Good Kill,” starring Ethan Hawke as an Air Force drone pilot.
Te MQ-9 Reaper is slated to be replaced by 2030 with the developmental MQ-20 Avenger (formerly Predator C) or at least
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