General Atomics purchased LSI before the Gnat entered production, completing the type’s first flight in 1989. Still limited by the 65hp of its Rotax piston engine, the Gnat 750 looked remarkably like a half-scale Reaper. Initially powered by engines of just 65hp, the Amber prototypes paved the way for LSI to begin development of the Gnat 750, suitable for sale on the export market. The programme was known as Amber and Leading Systems Inc (LSI) created several Amber prototypes under its direction, flying the first in 1986. In December 1984, a new avenue of development began when the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency began a programme to develop a series of small, multi-role UAVs. The US military has been using uncrewed air vehicles (UAVs), also known as remotely piloted air systems (RPAS) or, popularly, drones, for intelligence gathering since the 1960s. Mission ready with four Hellfire missiles. An internal synthetic aperture radar completes the MQ-9’s sensor suite. Two cameras in the aircraft’s forward fuselage provide a forward view for the crew on landing and take-off, while a full sensor suite, with targeting, daylight TV and infrared capabilities is turret mounted beneath Reaper’s forward fuselage. The operational crew controls the aircraft, its sensors and weapons system via an advanced, secure satellite communication system, providing over-the-horizon data link capability from bases in the UK and US. An in-theatre launch and recovery team is responsible for its ground operations. CAPABILITYĪ crew comprising a pilot, sensor operator and mission intelligence co-ordinator flies Reaper from a remote ground control station (GCS). The aircraft’s persistence and array of surveillance sensors are an essential complement to the RAF’s crewed platforms. The MQ-9 Reaper (Reaper MQ-9A) is a remotely piloted medium-altitude, long endurance (MALE) aircraft designed for Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR), and attack missions.
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