A Billion Dollars For New UAVs

[unhappycamper]

unhappycamper note: Since the ‘Pentagon’ (DoD? Gannett?) has ‘requested’ that I only post one paragraph from articles on Army Times, and Airforce Times, To keep in that same (new) tradition, I will also do the same for for articles on Navy Times, Marine Corps Times, stripes.com and military.com.
To read the article in the military's own words, you will need to click the link.

Read all about Fair Use here. It sure is beginning to smell like fascism.

unhappycamper summary of this article: Meet the MQ-1C Grey Eagle:



Role UCAV
Manufacturer General Atomics
First flight October 2004
Introduction 2009
Primary user United States Army
Program cost $1 billion
Developed from MQ-1 Predator

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Atomics_MQ-1C_Grey_Eagle

The General Atomics MQ-1C Grey Eagle (previously the Warrior and also called Sky Warrior by General Atomics) is an Extended-Range Multi-Purpose (ERMP) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) under development by General Atomics (GA), funded by United States Army. It is an upgrade of the MQ-1 Predator.

Development

The U.S. Army initiated the Extended-Range Multi-Purpose UAV competition in 2002, with the winning aircraft due to replace the RQ-5 Hunter. Two aircraft were entered, an upgraded version of the RQ-5 Hunter, and the Warrior. In August 2005, the Army announced the Warrior to be the winner and awarded a $214 million contract for system development and demonstration. The Army intends to procure 11 Warrior systems, each of these units has 12 UAVs and five ground control stations. With an expected total program cost of $1 billion, the aircraft is expected to become operational in 2009.<1>

The Army sought to have the Warrior designated MQ-12, but the United States Department of Defense allocated the designation MQ-1C instead.<2> The drones are planned to be operated by Task Force ODIN in Iraq and/or Afghanistan. In August 2010, the US Army announced that the MQ-1C had officially been assigned the name Grey Eagle.<3><4>

The Army announced on 3 September 2010 that the integration of the Hellfire missile on the Grey Eagle had been so successful that 4 weaponized Grey Eagles would be deployed to Afghanistan in late 2010.<5>

Design

A Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) UAV, the Grey Eagle has an increased wingspan and is powered by a Thielert Centurion 1.7 Heavy Fuel Engine (HFE).<6> This is a diesel piston engine that burns jet fuel, giving the aircraft better performance at high altitudes. It will be capable of operating for 36 hours at altitudes up to 25,000 feet (7,600 m),<1> with an operating range of 200 nautical miles (400 km).<7>

The aircraft's nose fairing has been enlarged to house a Synthetic Aperture Radar/Ground Moving Target Indicator (SAR-GMTI) system, and targeting is also provided with an AN/AAS-52 Multi-spectral Targeting System (MTS) under the nose. The aircraft can carry a payload of 800 pounds (360 kg) and can be armed with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and GBU-44/B Viper Strike guided bombs.<7>


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These things are getting expensive!



Army Unit Flies New UAV in Iraq
November 29, 2010
Army News Service|by Spc. Roland Hale

CAMP TAJI, Iraq -- An Army unit deployed to Camp Taji, Iraq, is shaping the future of the Army's unmanned aircraft systems program with a handful of its newest aircraft, the MQ-1C Gray Eagle.

[de novo]

1. Killing faceless people, including innocents, in faraway lands is much more

important than providing healthcare, extending unemployment benefits or allowing billionaire tax cuts to expire.

This country's priorities are so fucked up. Why can't the people see it?

[w8liftinglady]

2. well,of course.My kid couldn't even get a decent helmet and protection devices when he was there

...in 2003.That's why so many of his buds were killed there.great fucking timing,pricks.

[naaman fletcher]

3. I wouldn't have a problem with this,

if the 1 billion here resulted in a 2 billion cut from manned aircraft, as should happen. But, the pentagon pretty much always gets what it wants.

[JBoy]

4. A billion dollars is chump change for a DOD program.

Sounds to me like this will get 11 x 12 (= 132) UAVs. A billion might get you 6 or 7 F-35s.

[Billy Burnett]

5. The ultimate wedding crasher.

[Bigmack]

6. Now if they only could teach those things...

to NOT kill civilians...