MQ-1 Predator
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General Atomics MQ-1 Predator is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which the United States Air Force describes as a MALE (medium-altitude, long-endurance) UAV system. It can serve in a reconnaissance role and fire two AGM-114 Hellfire missiles. The aircraft, in use since 1995, has seen combat over Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bosnia, Serbia, Iraq, and Yemen. It is a remote-controlled aircraft.
The MQ-1 Predator is a system, not just an aircraft.
The fully operational system consists of four air vehicles (with sensors), a
ground control station (GCS), a Predator primary satellite link communication suite, and 55 people. In the over-all U.S. Air Force integrated UAV system the
Predator is considered a "Tier II" vehicle.
The Predator system was initially designated the
RQ-1 Predator. The "R" is the Department of Defense designation
for reconnaissance and the "Q" refers to an unmanned aircraft system. The "1"
describes it as being the first of a series of aircraft systems built for
unmanned reconnaissance. Pre-production systems were designated as RQ-1A, while
the RQ-1B (not to be confused with the RQ-1 Predator B, which became the MQ-9
Reaper) denotes the baseline production configuration. It should be emphasized
that these are designations of the system as a unit. The actual
aircraft themselves were designated RQ-1K for pre-production models, and RQ-1L
for production models. In 2005, the Air Force officially changed the designation
to MQ-1 (the "M" designates multi-role) to reflect its growing use as an armed
aircraft.
As of 2009 the Air Force’s fleet stands at 195
Predators and 28 Reapers.
More than one third of all deployed Predator spy
planes have crashed. 55 were lost because of "equipment failure, operator errors
or weather". Four of them were shot down in Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq; 11 were
lost in combat situations, such as "running out of fuel while protecting troops
under fire."
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MQ-9 Reaper Click Here to watch some Point Click Kill...
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In 2008 the New York Air National Guard 174th Fighter Wing began to transition from F-16 piloted planes to MQ-9 Reaper drones, which are capable of remote controlled or autonomous flight, becoming the first all-robot attack squadron.
Then U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff General T. 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."
As of 2009[update] the Air Force’s fleet stands at 195 Predators and 28 Reapers.
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RQ-170 Sentinel "The Beast of Kandahar"
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pods, presumably for sensors or SATCOMs, built into the upper surface of each wing. Few details of the UAV's characteristics have been released, but estimates of its wingspan range from approximately 65 feet (20 m) to between 75 feet (23 m) and 90 feet (27 m). (editor's note: seems like an over estimate)
The "RQ" designation indicates that the RQ-170 Sentinel does not carry weapons. Aviation Week's David A. Fulghum believes that the UAV is probably a "tactical, operations-oriented platform and not a strategic
intelligence-gathering design".
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"The Beast of Kandahar"
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flying-wing-typed unmanned airplane near Kandahar Airfield" Since then, this
has been known as "The Beast of Kandahar." in relation to the discussion of the
RQ-170 Sentinel on 4 December 2009. A USAF colonel subsequently commented
that RQ-170 is separate from the MQ-X program, which has yet to determine
stealth or powerplant requirements, and thus the Sentinel will not replace the
MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper drones currently in service. As of May 2011, the
US Military had not released any statements concerning the Sentinel since
December 2009.
RQ-16 T-Hawk
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Crew:Gross weight:Powerplant:Performance
81 mph (130 km/h)
ca. 0 hours 40 min
10,500 ft (3,200 m)
The gasoline engine powered RQ-16 is reported to weigh 8.4 kilograms (20 lb), have an endurance of around 40 minutes, 10,500 ft ceiling and about six nautical mile operating radius. Forward speeds up to 70 knots (130 km/h) have been achieved, but the G-MAV is operationally restricted to 50 knots (93 km/h) by software. VTOL operation is subject to a maximum wind speed of 15 knots (28 km/h). Sensors include one forward and one downward looking daylight or IR cameras.
The Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) program was launched by the DARPA. Following a $40 million technology demonstration contract to Honeywell Defense and Space Electronic Systems in 2003, the MAV project was transferred to United States Army's Future Combat System (FCS) program to fulfill the need for Class I platoon-level drone. In May 2006, Honeywell was awarded a $61 million contract to develop an advanced MAV with extended endurance and heavy-fuel engine.
In 2007, the United States Navy awarded Honeywell a $7.5 million contract for 20 G-MAVs (denoting the use of a gasoline engine) for deployment to Iraq with the US Multi-Service Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group. The hovering feature of MAV has been critical for U.S. forces in Iraq that search for roadside bombs. Military convoys have been using MAVs to fly ahead and scan the roads. MAV’s benefit is its ability to inspect a target—a suspicious vehicle, structure or disturbed earth—from close range, covering ground much more quickly than an unmanned ground vehicle and without putting people at risk.
Iraq trials were so successful that, in January 2008, the US Navy placed a surprise order for 372 MAVs, designated RQ-16A T-Hawk. The 186 MAV systems will each consist of two air vehicles and one ground station.
In January 2009, the UK was reported to have ordered five complete T-Hawk systems for delivery by 2010.
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Phalanx Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) AKA "R2-D2"
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PackBot is a series of military robots by iRobot. More than 2000 PackBots are currently on station in Iraq and Afghanistan, with hundreds more on the way.
Current PackBot 510 variants
PackBot 510 is the current base model. It uses a videogame-style hand controller to make it more familiar to young men and women. Configurations include:
PackBot 510 with EOD Bomb Disposal Kit designed for improvised explosive device identification and disposal.
PackBot 510 with Fast Tactical Maneuvering Kit designed for infantry troops tasked with improvised explosive device inspection. This is a lighter weight robot.
PackBot 510 with First Responder Kit designed to help SWAT teams and other first responders with situational awareness.
PackBot 510 with HazMat Detection Kit collects air samples to detect chemical and radiological agents.
PackBot 510 with Fido utilizes the Fido Explosives Detector from ICx Technologies as a payload in order to "sniff" out explosive materials. With the Fido, the PackBot now has the capability of locating explosive devices and subsequently disarming them using on-board robotic capabilities.
PackBot 510 with REDOWL Sniper Detection Kit utilizes the Acoustic Direction Finder from BioMimetic Systems to localize gunshots with azimuth, elevation, and range.
MATILDA
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Mesa Associate's Tactical Integrated Light-Force Deployment Assembly (MATILDA) is a remote control military robot that can be configured with cameras, an explosive disrupter unit for disabling bombs, or a manipulator arm.
MARCbot
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MARCbot is a low cost robotic platform (costing about $8000) used in Iraq for the inspection of suspicious objects. It is one of smallest and most commonly used robots in Iraq and looks like a small toy truck with an elevated mast on which a camera is mounted. This camera is used to look, for example, behind doors or through windows without placing human soldiers in danger. It is capable of running for 6 hours on a set of fully charged batteries and was developed with the input of soldiers in Iraq to meet their needs.
It was the first ground robot to draw blood in Iraq. One unit jury-rigged a Claymore antipersonnel mine on their units. If they suspected an ambush they would send the robot ahead. If an insurgent was seen the Claymore would be detonated.
Foster-Miller TALON
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The Foster-Miller TALON robot is a small, tracked military robot designed for missions ranging from reconnaissance to combat. In 2007, three SWORDS units were deployed to Iraq. Each unit is armed with a M249 machine gun. This deployment marks the first time that robots are carrying guns into battle. However, their weapons have remained unused as the Army has never given the go-ahead for using them.