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An MQ-1
Predator unmanned aircraft, armed with AGM-114 Hellfire
missiles, flies a combat mission over southern Afghanistan.
(U.S. Air Force photo/Lt. Col. Leslie Pratt) |
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SPECIAL REPORT: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles |
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OVERVIEW: Unmanned
aerial vehicles (UAVs), such as the US Air Force's Predator UAV (Unmanned Aerial
Vehicle - aka UAS - Unmanned Aircraft System), are changing the shape of warfare. Armed and
dangerous, UAVs can linger and watch over targets mostly
undetected for hours at a time and strike out of nowhere when
the time is right. As employed in Iraq, Afghanistan and
Pakistan, UAVs are forcing enemy combatants into
ever-smaller (and less-lethal) groups. In turn, insurgents,
always fearful of being watched and struck from above, are
changing their tactics to find safety in the company and cover of civilian
populations. This has led to some civilian casualties which has
angered local populations against the United States. Overall,
continued technological advances will only further the uses and
effectiveness of unmanned vehicles and perhaps even one day
supplant manned fighter craft. |
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HOW
UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES WORK |
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1. A deployed local team launches and lands the UAV. |
2. Once the UAV is off the ground, control is passed to a
team in the United States. |
3. A commander
decides whether to fire missiles at a target. |
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UAV PHOTOS |
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Soldiers
prep a UAV on a ramp that will help propel the aircraft into
flight at Camp Taji, Iraq. |
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A Marine
launches a RQ-11 Raven at Camp Leatherneck, Helmand
Province, Afghanistan. |
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A Soldier
launches a RQ-11 Raven Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. |
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The
Northrop Grumman Corporation-developed unmanned aerial
vehicle MQ-8B Fire Scout flies over the Atlantic Ocean. |
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An AF
officer pilots the MQ-9 Reaper while an Airman controls a
full motion video camera at Kandahar Air Base. |
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A U.S.
Air Force MQ-9 Reaper takes off from Kandahar Air Base,
Afghanistan. |
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An MQ-9
Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle taxies after landing at Joint
Base Balad, Iraq. |
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A Scan
Eagle unmanned aerial vehicle is launched from a Mk V Naval
Special Warfare boat off the coast of San Clemente Island. |
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Canada's Spewer CU161 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) launches from the
air ramp. |
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The
Shadow 200, an unmanned aerial vehicle used for surveillance
and reconnaissance, uses rear-push propulsion. |
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The RQ-4
Global Hawk UAS has a wingspan of 116 feet and is designed
to cruise at extremely high altitudes. |
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A Scan
Eagle Unmanned Aerial System launches from a catapult. |
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MQ-1 Predator
Primary Function: Armed reconnaissance,
airborne surveillance and target acquisition
Contractor: General Atomics
Aeronautical Systems Incorporated
Power Plant: Rotax 914F four cylinder
engine
Thrust: 115 horsepower
Wingspan: 48.7 feet (14.8 meters)
Length: 27 feet (8.22 meters)
Height: 6.9 feet (2.1 meters)
Weight: 1,130 pounds ( 512 kilograms)
empty
Payload: 450 pounds (204 kilograms)
Speed: Cruise speed around 84 mph (70
knots), up to 135 mph
Range: Up to 400 nautical miles (454
miles)
Ceiling: Up to 25,000 feet (7,620
meters)
Armament: Two laser-guided AGM-114
Hellfire missiles |
MQ-9 Reaper
Primary Function: Unmanned
hunter/killer weapon system
Contractor: General Atomics
Aeronautical Systems, Inc.
Power Plant: Honeywell TPE331-10GD
turboprop engine
Thrust: 900 shaft horsepower maximum
Wingspan: 66 feet (20.1 meters)
Length: 36 feet (11 meters)
Height: 12.5 feet (3.8 meters)
Weight: 4,900 pounds (2,223 kilograms)
empty
Payload: 3,750 pounds (1,701 kilograms)
Speed: Cruise speed around 230 miles
per hour (200 knots)
Range: 3,682 miles (3,200 nautical
miles)
Ceiling: Up to 50,000 feet (15,240
meters)
Armament: Combination of AGM-114
Hellfire missiles, GBU-12 Paveway II and
GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions. |
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