General Atomics RQ/MQ-1 Predator
MQ-1C Gray Eagle

The Predator was the U.S. Air Force's first operational tactical multimission UAV. In January 1994, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) was awarded an ACTD (Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration) contract by DARPA for the Predator, which was to fulfill a requirement known as "Tier II" MAE (Medium Altitude Endurance) UAV. The Predator, which first flew in July 1994, was based on GA-ASI's earlier Gnat-750 UAV, which was itself derived from Amber vehicle, built in the late 1980s. While still under development, the Predator was first used operationally in July 1995 in Albania to monitor Serbian installations. Two vehicles were lost during these missions. The ACTD phase of the program ended in June 1996, and the first LRIP (Low Rate Initial Production) contract for Predator was subsequently awarded in August 1997.

At the same time, the DOD introduced a new Q-for-UAV category in its designation system for manned aircraft, and the Predator was accordingly designated RQ-1. However, the aircraft designation system was used for the Predator in a non-standard way. The designation RQ-1A referred to a whole UAV system (including ground equipment) in the ACTD configuration, while the air vehicles were designated RQ-1K. Other components of the Predator system also had designations in the RQ-1 series, which will be mentioned below.

Photo: General Atomics

RQ-1K

The RQ-1K was powered by a Rotax 912 UL piston engine driving a two-blade pusher propeller, and featured an inverted V-tail. With its fully retractable tricycle landing gear, the Predator took off and landed like a conventional aeroplane. It had a fixed nose-mounted colour TV camera for remote piloting, and for automatic navigation, it was equipped with a GPS-aided inertial navigation system. Primary mission equipment of the RQ-1K was a Northrop Grumman AN/ZPQ-1 TESAR (Tactical Endurance Synthetic Aperture Radar) surveillance radar and a Wescam Versatron 14TS IR/EO (Infrared/Electro-Optical) sensor turret.

Ground equipment of an RQ-1A system included the RQ-1P GCS (Ground Control Station), which used C- and Ku-Band datalinks for LOS (Line-Of-Sight) and non-LOS communication with the UAV, respectively. Range of the non-LOS link, and therefore the effective operational radius of the aircraft, was about 740 km (400 nm). Non-LOS communications in the first three Predator systems was handled via an AN/TSQ-190(V) Trojan SPIRIT II SATCOM link, which was designated as RQ-1U within the Predator system nomenclature. The Predator UAV could be programmed to automatically return to base if the datalink was lost.

Development of the upgraded Block 1 version of the Predator system began in 1998, and was completed in the 2000/01 time frame. Designated RQ-1B, a Block 1 system comprised improvements to the UAV and the communications equipment. The RQ-1L air vehicle had a higher-performance turbo-supercharged Rotax 914 UL engine and de-icing equipment. It could reach an altitude of about 7920 m (26000 ft), where it could cruise for at least 20 (and possibly up to 24) hours at 110-130 km/h (60-70 knots). On later RQ-1Ls, the Wescam 14TS was replaced by a Raytheon AN/AAS-52(V) MTS (Multi-Spectral Targeting System) EO/IR sensor turret which also housed a laser designator. Ground equipment improvements included a secure ATC (Air Traffic Control) voice relay, a second datalink in the GCS to support simultaneous control of two UAVs, an Air Force Mission Support System (AFMSS) workstation in the GCS, and general maintainablity and reliability upgrades. The Block 1 GCS was designated as RQ-1Q, while the latest Predator satellite link (which replaced the Trojan SPIRIT II) was known as RQ-1W PPSL (Predator Primary Satellite Link) (there was apparently no -1V designation).

Photo: General Atomics

RQ-1L

Further improvements of the Predator system, designated as Block 10 and 20, are also known to have been procured. Changes in the Block 10 air vehicle included a wingtip extension for improved performance in high and hot environments. It was planned to upgrade all surviving Predator airframes to this standard. A new nomenclature was introduced for some of the ground equipment used for UAV control. The latter was designated in a D-series (D = Drone Control). The Block 20 GCS was the MD-1A, while the designation MD-1B referred to the so-called Predator LRCS (Launch and Recovery Control Station), which could be used not only with the MQ/RQ-1, but also with the later MQ-9 Predator B. The MD-1C was the CDCS (Containerized Dual Control Station), which could pass control to a fully functional station after launch. The MD-1D was a multi-aircraft control station, in which one pilot and four sensor operators could control up to four UAVs simultaneously.

Probably the most important upgrade of the Predator system was the arming of the UAV with air-launched guided missiles. The development program was begun in 2000, and in February 2001 an AGM-114C Hellfire laser-guided anti-armour missile was fired for the first time from an RQ-1L equipped with a wing-mounted missile launch pylon and the laser designator of the AN/AAS-52(V). This achievement was hyped as "first guided missile launch by an UAV", which somewhat overlooked the fact that experimental BGM-34A Firebee UAVs had launched AGM-65 Maverick missiles already in 1971/72. In February 2002, those RQ-1Ls, which were equipped to launch Hellfire, were redesignated as MQ-1L. The designation of the corresponding Predator system also changed to MQ-1B. Other missiles and guided weapons, including the FIM-92 Stinger air-to-air missile, were evaluated and/or operationally used on the MQ-1L as well. Since 2001, the RQ/MQ-1 was extensively used in U.S. operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, including armed ground attack missions by MQ-1Ls.

Photo: General Atomics

MQ-1L

The final Predator for the Air Force was delivered in 2011, for a total number of more than 250 USAF RQ/MQ-1 aircraft. At that time, the USAF had already received and fielded the first examples of the significantly enlarged and more powerful MQ-9 Reaper (Predator B), which was to gradually supplement and ultimately replace the older MQ-1L. The last remaining MQ-1 Predators in USAF service were eventually retired in March 2018.

MQ-1C Gray Eagle

In 2002 the U.S. Army began the Extended Range Multi-Purpose (ERMP) UAS program for a long-endurance armed unmanned aerial system, and by 2004 two competitors had submitted proposals. In August 2005, the General Atomics Sky Warrior was announced as the winner of the competition against the the Northrop Grumman Hunter II (an enlarged derivative of the MQ-5B Hunter). In late 2006, the designation YMQ-1C was officially allocated to Sky Warrior prototypes. The Army originally wanted to designate the UAV as the MQ-12, and (according to unofficial information) requested the designation YMQ-12A for the prototypes, but the request was rejected in favor of YMQ-1C.

Photo: General Atomics

YMQ-1C

In 2010, the Army announced, that the MQ-1C has been officially named Grey Eagle. In the announcement, the spelling of "Grey" with an "e" was explicitly confirmed. However, the common American spelling "Gray" prevailed, and the vehicle is nowadays usually spelled "Gray Eagle", incl. many official U.S. Army documents and the General Atomics website. Therefore, this spelling is also used in this article.

The Gray Eagle is a variant of the MQ-1 Predator, the main difference being a larger wing and a new engine. The UAV is powered by a Thielert "Centurion" Heavy Fuel Engine (HFE) for higher performance, better fuel-efficiency and longer lifetime. The Gray Eagle's main sensors are an SAR/GMTI (Synthetic Aperture Radar/Ground Moving Target Indicator) in the large fairing, and an EO/IR (Electro-Optical/Infrared) turret under the nose. It is equipped with underwing hardpoints, on which it can carry up to four AGM-114 Hellfire missiles. The MQ-1C features an automatic take-off and landing system (ATLS), which enables it to take off and land without any operator support. For remote control, it supports the use of the same GCS (Ground Control Station) as the RQ-7 Shadow 200 system.

Photo: General Atomics

MQ-1C

The first combat deployment of the MQ-1C occurred in March 2012 in Afghanistan, and later that year the IOT&E (Initial Operational Test & Evaluation) phase of the Army's Gray Eagle program was successfully concluded. The Gray Eagle has fully replaced the older MQ-5B Hunter in U.S. Army service, and by 2019, the Army had procured a total of 204 MQ-1C aircraft.

In 2013, GA-ASI introduced an improved version of the Gray Eagle for extended range and endurance. It was initially called IGE (Improved Gray Eagle), but has been renamed GE-ER (Gray Eagle Extended Range). It has a deeper belly for more internal fuel and a centerline hardpoint for an external fuel tank. In total, this more than doubles the vehicle's maximum fuel capacity compared to the original Gray Eagle. The GE-ER also has a modified wing and a new 120 kW (180 hp) HFE. The changes result in an endurance of up to 42 hours. Beginning in 2017, an unspecified number of U.S. Army MQ-1Cs were delivered as GE-ER aircraft.

Photo: General Atomics

MQ-1C (Extended Range)

The latest variant of the Gray Eagle family is the Gray Eagle 25M (GE 25M). It is an upgrade of the GE-ER with a new 135 kW (200 hp) HFE, a new radar with much greater range, enhanced ECM resiliance via more jamming-resistant GPS and communications systems, and support for dual-rail missile launchers increasing maximum Hellfire capacity to 8 missiles. The first flight of the GE 25M occurred in Decemeber 2023. In the same month, GA-ASI received the first contract to deliver an initial batch of Grey Eagle 25M aircraft to the U.S. Army. In Army service, the GE 25M is still designated as an MQ-1C, but sometimes the nomenclature MQ-1C-25M is used.

Photo: General Atomics

MQ-1C-25M

In 2021, General Atomics unveiled the Mojave, a significantly modified UAV of Gray Eagle lineage. It is optimized for the role of an armed STOL UAV, for operation from austere fields or decks of amphibious assault ships. It is powered by a turboprop engine, and has 7 external hardpoints for a variety of loads, incl. guided missiles and minigun pods. The envisioned production variant of the Mojave was named Gray Eagle STOL by GA-ASI. The company has been pitching the Mojave / Gray Eagle STOL to the U.S. Marines and U.S. Army, but so far this has not resulted in firm orders by the U.S. military.

Specifications

Note: Data given by several sources show slight variations. Figures given below may therefore be inaccurate!

Data for RQ-1L (except where noted) and MQ-1C:

Main Sources

[1] Kenneth Munson (ed.): "Jane's Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Targets, Issue 15", Jane's, 2000
[2] Tom Kaminski: "The Future is Here", article in Combat Aircraft Vol. 4, No. 6, 2003
[3] Martin Streetly: "The General Atomics Aeronautical Systems M/RQ-1 Predator", article in Air International, Sept. 2003
[4] Department of Defense Missile Nomenclature Records
[5] General Atomics: Remotely Piloted Aircraft, December 2024
[6] The War Zone, Tyler Rogoway: USAF Officially Retires MQ-1 Predator While MQ-9 Reaper Set To Gain Air-To-Air Missiles, March 2018
[7] Various web resources, referenced in Wikipedia: General Atomics MQ-1 Predator and General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle

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Last Updated: 31 December 2024