General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) says its MQ-9 Predator B medium endurance UAV variant on offer for the US Navy broad area maritime surveillance (BAMS) competition will be weapons-capable despite there being no strike role in the programme requirements
GA-ASI is competing for BAMS in cooperation with Lockheed Martin, offering an increased wingspan Predator B derivative.
The weapons-carriage option would be in parallel to the UAV simultaneously carrying a multi-mode surface search radar on its central fuselage pylon.
John Porter, GA-ASI deputy director of business development, says that despite the USN not seeking weapons capability for the BAMS system, “we do not see any reason to remove the capability of the aircraft to be fitted with weapons”.
Speaking at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems (AUVSI) Unmanned Systems Asia Pacific conference in Melbourne, Australia 15 March, Porter said the BAMS aircraft would retain a high ordnance load out capability: “Potentially 3,000lb[1,360kg] of weapons or maybe more because this aircraft will have more fuel. But it, like Predator B, will be limited to a maximum gross take off weight so for every weapon you put on you will offload fuel and therefore minimise your mission radius.”
However, Porter also says that “until the Navy decides that they want it, it is not something that we would implement”.
Existing MQ-9 aircraft are capable of carrying a weapons load comprising of up to eight Lockheed Martin Hellfire missiles, or a mix of GBU-12 and Hellfire, or GBU-28 bombs. USAF configuration MQ-9 Reaper aircraft are equipped with three hard points on each wing, plus a centre pylon. The USAF is currently restricting its weapons loading to the inboard and centre wing pylons, with the outboard third position being used to support electronic support measures to assist in engaging emitting targets.
Porter also says that existing US Air Force strike operations using the GA-ASI MQ-1 Predator A aircraft are now routinely being conducted from altitudes averaging 12,000-15,000ft using modified missiles. A second UAV-specific variant of Hellfire is also being fielded, allowing engagements from UAVs operating at twice that altitude.
“The missile designed to be used from helicopters flying at tree top levels against tanks has now been modified. Working with the missile manufacturer and our own engineers we are now successfully engaging targets with that variant of Hellfire from 12,000ft-15,000ft and with another one from above 25,000ft.”
Source: FlightGlobal.com
