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).
After modifying it for certain missions, China has started commercial production of its deadliest UAV: an UAV named CH-5, able to fly for up to 120 hours, and that many experts believe it could be a rival to the Reaper. The initial output of this UAV will be relatively small: 10-20 units a year, and it is unlikely to exceed 20 due to the size and sophistication of the aircraft. Regarding weapons payload, this UAV can carry up to 16 air-to-ground missiles.
The CH-5 can be operated by an undergraduate student with basic knowledge of aviation after only one or two days of training, according to state media reports. This is because of the simplicity of its user interface, and the fact that operations like the take-off and landing can be automated. The UAV can also be modified to become a low-cost airborne early warning system, or equipped with high-tech sensors such as wall and ground-penetrating radars developed by China.
Summarizing: with the commercial production of the CH-5, China could be ready to offer international buyers a heavy military UAV with many features comparable to the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, but at around half the cost.
El 62nd ERS (Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron) con base en Kandahar (Afganistán), ha completado con éxito una serie de modificaciones en su flota de MQ-9 Reaper que los capacita para aumentar su radio de alcance entre un 20 y un 40 por ciento, en función de su carga de pago.
Esta actualización ofrece a las tropas la posibilidad de vigilar durante más tiempo ciertas areas de especial interés, a fin de neutralizar una amenaza antes de que sea demasiado tarde.
Vamos a ver en este post un vídeo donde se muestran las tareas de preparación y despegue de un UAV GAAS MQ-9 Reaper, dentro de los ejercicios Emerald Warrior.
Los Emerald Warrior son unos ejercicios anuales que se llevan a cabo para entrenamiento de las fuerzas especiales, y es actualmente el único ejercicio de su categoría que lleva a cabo el Pentágono.
En las pruebas llevadas a cabo hace un año en la US Naval Air Weapons Station de China Lake (CA), un UAVGAAS MQ-9 Reaper armado con misiles MBDA Brimston llevó a cabo nueve ataques directos contra blancos fijos y móviles.
Los blancos móviles iban a una velocidad de 70 MPH (112 Km/H), y la distancia y altitud a la que se efectuaron los disparos fue de 7 millas (11 Km) y 20.000 pies (6 Km) respectivamente.
The Netherlands is to purchase four General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and related ground stations, the Dutch Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 21 November.
The first Reaper should be fully operational in 2016, the last the following year. As opposed to MQ-9/RQ-9 Reapers in service with the US Air Force and the UK Royal Air Force, the Dutch version will not be armed, although this could change in the future "with a minimum of modification", the MoD stated.
The Reaper was the only system available, the MoD said, that met its requirement to conduct surveillance-missions with an endurance "exceeding 24 hours". The sensor load will be as standard for the platform:
EOIR
SAR
GMT
but will also include a special Dutch requirement to equip the UAVs with "a ground and surface radar with larger coverage" than standard and a specialised SIGINT pack.
