The average unit cost of an MQ-9 is estimated at $30 million in 2021 dollars. 2035 is the projected end of the service life of the MQ-9 fleet. Several MQ-9 aircraft had been retrofitted with equipment upgrades to improve performance in "high-end combat situations", and all new MQ-9s would have those upgrades. The USAF operated over 300 MQ-9 Reapers as of May 2021. Michael Moseley said: "We've moved from using UAVs primarily in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance roles before Operation Iraqi Freedom, to a true hunter-killer role with the Reaper." In 2006, Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force General T. The MQ-9 is the first hunter-killer UAV designed for long-endurance, high-altitude surveillance. The aircraft is monitored and controlled by aircrew in the Ground Control Station (GCS), including weapons employment. The greater power allows the Reaper to carry 15 times more ordnance payload and cruise at about three times the speed of the MQ-1. The Reaper has a 950- shaft-horsepower (712 kW) turboprop engine (compared to the Predator's 115 hp (86 kW) piston engine). The MQ-9 is a larger, heavier, more capable aircraft than the earlier General Atomics MQ-1 Predator and can be controlled by the same ground systems. The MQ-9 and other UAVs are referred to as Remotely Piloted Vehicles/Aircraft (RPV/RPA) by the USAF to indicate ground control by humans. “The airspace that’s available here is a tremendous asset, compared to some other ranges where it’s a much more congested area and therefore more difficult to work with,” added Velky.The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (sometimes called Predator B) is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations, developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) primarily for the United States Air Force (USAF).
“I feel like Dugway is a very reasonable place to come test it has great support for these types of flight demonstrations, especially something like Eaglet,” says Ethan Brown, engineering director of advanced programs at General Atomics. The team says DPG provides them with a unique location to test their new technology. Flight testing for EAGLET 2.0 is expected to begin in 2025. It flies like an aircraft should and it can be maneuvered and brought in for a stable approach and landing as well.” The results of these tests are feeding the next phase of the project - EAGLET 2.0 - which is a continued collaboration with DEVCOM and expected to be an improved, production-ready vehicle that incorporates lessons learned from the demonstrator. Velky says their goal is to “show that it flies as we expected. This most-recent phase of testing was to explore stability and control of the new platform. “Because of its lower cost you’re going to be willing to take more risk with an EAGLET ALE-type aircraft than you would with a group 5 like Gray Eagle.” “The Gray Eagle platform is going to stand-off more from the threat and have longer-range sensors on it, whereas the Air Launch Effect (ALE) EAGLET-type class would be able to fly in closer,” explains General Atomics Test Engineer Tom Velky. The EAGLET is intended to be a low-cost, survivable UAS that can be launched from the ground or from the air utilizing the Gray Eagle.
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Army Combat Capabilities Development Command to develop a new Enhanced Air and Ground Launch Effect Technology, or EAGLET, demonstrator which recently ran a series of captive carry and free-flight tests at Dugway Proving Ground. General Atomics, the minds behind the Gray Eagle, has been collaborating with the U.S. That’s where newer and smaller technology comes into play. While a UAS can run operations without putting a soldier at risk, there are still some moments where the risk is too high even for these machines.
Army’s mission capabilities for more than a decade. DUGWAY PROVING GROUND, Utah - Unmanned aerial systems, or UAS, such as the Gray Eagle program have been an indispensable part of the U.S.
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