USAF Officially Retires MQ-1 Predator While MQ-9 Reaper Set To Gain Air-To-Air Missiles - The Drive

3/19/2018 USAF Officially Retires MQ-1 Predator While MQ-9 Reaper Set To Gain Air-To-Air Missiles - The Drive
MOTORCYCLES THE WAR ZONE CAR RADIO PODCAST SHOP 🔍
USAF O icially Retires MQ-1

Predator While MQ-9 Reaper Set To
Gain Air-To-Air Missiles
The Reaper is set to gain new capabilities just as its iconic progenitor is pulled from service, but
arming drones with air-to-air missiles isn't new.
BY TYLER ROGOWAY MARCH 9, 2018
THE WAR ZONE AIM-120 AIM-9X AIR TO AIR MISSILE DRONES LYNX RADAR MQ-1 MQ-9 MTS-B MUNITIONS
PREDATOR REAPER REMOTELY PILOTED VEHICLE RETIREMENT RPA RQ-1
COURTESY PHOTO—U.S. AIR FORCE
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T he Reaper has come for the USAF's long-serving MQ-1 Predator

MOTORCYCLES THE WAR ZONE
drone eet, literally. CAR RADIO PODCAST
Today, March SHOP
9th, 2018, the ying
of cially retire Predator, a platform that ushered in a new era of
service will
unmanned air warfare—most notably the ability to rain down precision

death as its controllers sat halfway around the globe in dark trailers. The
decision to pull the Predator eet is a previously preempted and
controversial one, but its legacy is secured in the form of its super-sized
cousin, the MQ-9 Reaper, an aircra that will become the backbone of
USAF drone operations. And with its elevated importance within the
USAF's inventory, the Reaper is going to gain new capabilities and an
expanded mission set, including the ability to re air-to-air missiles.
THE US NAVY MAY END UP THE USAF EXPANDS MQ-9 USAF REAPER DRONES
FLYING THE AIR FORCE'S REAPER DRONE FORCE IN CAN FINALLY DROP GPS
UNWANTED MQ-1 AFGHANISTAN TO ITS GUIDED JOINT DIRECT
PREDATOR DRONES LARGEST SIZE EVER ATTACK MUNITIONS 
By Joseph Trevithick By Joseph Trevithick By Joseph Trevithick
Posted in THE WAR ZONE Posted in THE WAR ZONE Posted in THE WAR ZONE
You can read all about how the Predator went from a useful surveillance
tool to an airborne assassin and the divisive star of the Global War on
Terror in this past article of mine.
The @usairforce MQ1 is of cially retired. The contributions of the

@USAF_ACC Predator and the Airmen behind it were honored during a
#MQ1SunSet ceremony at Creech AFB today. Thank you for years of
dedicated service and innovation! pic.twitter.com/PGyluw3VNT
— Creech AFB (@Creech_AFB) March 10, 2018
But Predator won't totally disappear as it serves in other roles globally and
surplus USAF airframes, of which there are many, will end up in the
Navy's hands, and likely under the control of contractors here at home
and in the eets of friendly allies' air arms as well.
Reaper evolution
Just as the MQ-1 leaves the USAF's active inventory, the MQ-9 is getting a
series of upgrades that will add new elements to its already diverse
capabilities list. Presently the Reaper is used for surveillance or strike
missions, and the USAF is trying to blend these two mission sets more
smoothly together. The latest variant of the MQ-9 can y upwards of 40
hours when not carrying weapons.
USAF
A Predator and Reaper operating out of Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan.

MOTORCYCLES THE WAR ZONE CAR RADIO PODCAST SHOP
The Reaper's hardpoints give it the ability to carry a mix of AGM-114
Hell re, GBU-12 Paveway, and now GBU-38 JDAM munitions. In contrast,
its forbearer, the Predator, can only carry two Hell res. Typically a
Reaper's external payload totals no more than about 2,500lbs on a strike
mission, but that enables the Reaper to carry four Hell re missiles and a
pair of harder-hitting 500lb Paveways or JDAMs. In the future, guided
micro-munitions will give Reapers a deeper and more exible magazine.
A variety of surveillance, fuel, communications relay, and electronic

warfare pods, including Wide Area Aerial Surveillance (WAAS) camera
arrays can and are carried on the Reaper's pylons. These systems are
supplemental to the drone's nose-mounted MTS-B multi-spectral
surveillance and targeting turret and its fuselage mounted Lynx synthetic
aperture radar. A ventral hardpoint allows for larger radar systems to be
mounted in a semi-permanent enclosure.
USAF
The USAF is eyeing putting more powerful radar systems onboard some
Reapers in an attempt to help build-out a 'system of systems' of ground
moving targeting identi cation (GMTI) sensor nodes that can be
distributed around the battle eld. This is part of the overall effort
to replace E-8C JSTARS planes in a decentralized manner and to increase
resiliency and capability for the critical GMTI mission set. GMTI is a
radar capability that tracks moving targets on the ground over time using
radar. These systems have gotten more advanced and smaller in recent
years, with some podded systems being able to track human movements
and other small 'patterns of life' related data points.
US BORDER PATROL
RQ-9 Guardian
The Reapers have the ability to eld a more capable radar via the addition
of an underwing pod or by activating their ventral hardpoint. The latter of
which has been done for maritime patrol optimized variants of the
Reaper commonly referred to as "Guardian."
Back to the future with unmanned air-to-air
In addition to a possible radar upgrade option, the Reaper is also going to

get the ability to employ air-to-air missiles. This is truly a 'back to the
future' moment in that the Predator was out tted to carry AIM-92 Stinger
air-to-air missiles under an urgent development initiative led by the
USAF's Big Safari of ce 16 years ago. Air Force Magazine recounts the
lightning fast initiative and its wild outcome:
"Some Predators were armed with the AIM-92 Stinger

missile, to defend themselves against Iraqi ghters.
Getting the Stinger certi ed on the Predator took only 91
days.
On Dec. 23, 2002—less than three months before

Operation Iraqi Freedom began—a Stinger-armed
Predator was performing reconnaissance over a no- y
zone when an Iraqi MiG-25 turned in to attack. The
Predator red at the MiG-25, and the TV imagery showed
the smoke trails of the two missiles crossing in midair.
Unfortunately, the MiG’s missile downed the Predator,
but the Iraqi Air Force apparently drew the conclusion
the US would have wanted them to: that there was no
future in combating Stinger-armed Predators. There
were no further attacks against the UAVs."
I wrote a bit more detailed account based on information I had heard

back in 2012:
"By 2002 the saber-rattling between the Bush

Administration and Saddam’s gang of war criminals and
military puppets (who can every forget goons like
“Baghdad Bob,” Tariq Aziz, and “Chemical” Ali?) had
reached a thundering crescendo. IAEA inspectors were

frustrated, the
MOTORCYCLES THEUS
WARhad assets
ZONE literally
CAR pouring into
RADIO PODCAST SHOPthe
region, and the long-established no y zones were still
rmly in place over northern and southern Iraq.
As tensions increased Saddam’s forces became more

emblazoned and de ant towards coalition aerial patrols.
It just seemed crystal clear that war was on its way no-
matter what really happened. At the same time, America
was continuing to realize the true value of the General
Atomics Q-1 series of unmanned aircra . At the time,
less than a decade ago, the USAF only had a small
inventory Predators, less than two-dozen to be mores
speci c, compared with today where well over 200 Q-1
and Q-9 series of unmanned aircra y for the USAF.
From what I have heard about this unique footnote in

military aviation history is that it was somewhat common
that MiG-25 Foxbats would make slashing incursions
across the no y zone boundaries, especially when US
unmanned aircra were operating in the areas and when
coalition AWACs coverage was of ine. The US recognized
the increase in Iraqi brazenness and devised a plan to
rst bait and subsequently deter Iraqi aggression towards
unmanned aerial vehicles.
At rst the Predators would bait the Iraqi ghters to

violate the no y zone boundary and then they would
run. Over time a cat and mouse game ensued, until one
day the Predator did not run. Instead it made an
intercept course for the fast- ying MiG-25. This is where
the video posted below comes into play, you see these
were no normal RQ-1 Predators, they were in fact armed
with a pair of AIM-92 heat-seeking “Stinger” missiles.
The MiG-25 is thought to have red a medium range AA-6

“Acrid” air-to-air missile at a relatively close distance
from the diminutive Predator, although still at a long
enough distance that the Predator’s AIM-92’s could not
lock onto the massive MiG’s heat signature. Thus the
Predator red its missile while the Iraqi’s shot was well
on its way. The Iraqi MiG-25 Foxbat missile’s hot exhaust
confused the Stinger’s infra-red seeker which sent it
astray. Foxbat one, Predator zero.
In the end the little Predator, pretty much the slowest

and lightest combat aircra in the USAF’s inventory, was
brought down by a massive MiG-25, the heaviest and
fastest ghter in the Iraqi Air Force at the time.
Just like a classic gun ghter’s standoff, the guy that was
able to shoot rst lived to ght another day, just barely
averting mutual destruction. Surely the Iraqi MiG-25 pilot
must have been amazed when he saw what amounts to a
seemingly defenseless, glori ed radio controlled plane
shoot back at his mach three capable interceptor. Yet
maybe what at face value seems like a loss for the USAF
was in fact exactly
MOTORCYCLES THE WARthe outcome
ZONE theyPODCAST
CAR RADIO wanted as SHOP
that was
the last time Iraqi ghters ever pushed an intercept on an
unmanned US drone.
And that my friends is how the future of unmanned air-

to-air combat was born…"
Stinger-laden Predators quickly fell out of fashion as the eet rapidly

expanded and became a centerpiece of the Global War on Terror and the
controversial "targeted killing" drone assassination program. But over the
last decade, American drones have been harassed repeatedly by the
Iranians while on patrols over the Persian Gulf. The problem got so bad
that F-22s were called in to send a message to roving Iranian tactical jet
crews that leaving the unmanned aircra alone while ying in
international airspace was good for their health.
Fast forward to today and it's evident why giving the Reaper the ability to
defend itself is attractive—even for deterrent reasons alone. Additionally,
these aircra have had the bene t of operating in largely benign
environments since their introduction into service. Future operations
may not be so convenient.
The air war over Syria, where Reapers are o en shadowed by Russian
ghters, is a reminder how defenseless these assets are, and because of
the limited situational awareness of their operators, it may not even be
possible to con rm how one was brought down should such an event
occur. This can be a huge problem, especially when one is operating on
an essential mission. And in Syria, unmanned aircra are usually the only
coalition aircra to penetrate into the western part of the country, where
Russian forces are deeply entrenched.
An air-to-air arrow for the MQ-9's quiver
For the self defense role, the AIM-9X is a far more capable missile than
the AIM-92 Stinger. It is capable of shorter beyond visual range
engagements, has a wider eld of view than its AIM-9L/M predecessor,
uses a far superior imaging infrared seeker, and most importantly, it can
engage targets far off the aircra 's centerline. The block II variant also
features a data-link that enables lock on a er launch capability. It can
even engage ground and surface targets under certain circumstances. You
can read much more about the AIM-9X and its capabilities here.
It may be possible to slave the AIM-9X's seeker to the Reaper's sensor

turret, which itself may be able to be directed to targets in the MQ-9's
operating environment that are pushed to it from third party platforms
via an onboard Link 16 data-link terminal. That information could then
be sent back to Reaper's operators via the aircra 's standard Ku band
satellite communications link. Think of this as a virtual radar of sorts,
and there are platforms that speci cally support this kind of concept,
namely the USAF's E-11 and EQ-4 BACN aircra .
USAF
MQ-9
This would give the Reaper's operators much higher situational awareness
and may allow the AIM-9X to target enemy aircra at the very edge of its
range. It would also allow its operators to obtain positive identi cation of
potential enemies at long ranges prior to ring. If a new radar was added
to the Reaper that had an air-to-air mode, the missile's seeker and the
MOTORCYCLES THE WAR ZONE CAR RADIO PODCAST
Reaper's turret could be pointed at targets it sees as well. SHOP
Additionally, when upgraded with advanced threat sensing gear and

so ware, including the possible elding of radar warning receiver pods
and rudimentary distributed aperture systems, MQ-9 crews could use the
AIM-9X to better defend their aircra than they could otherwise. Even
drone sense and avoid technology being developed for civilian uses could
be adapted to help the Reaper protect itself with its own missiles against
airborne threats.
GENERAL ATOMICS
Reaper fitted with ALR-69A radar warning receiver and electronic warfare pod. This system
drastically increases the MQ-9's survivability and its operators situational awareness. It can
even help with cueing weapons on enemy targets, like marauding fighters, too.
What I am getting at here is that the Reaper would not have to point its
nose at the enemy in order to shoot at it. Basic ghter maneuvers
(dog ghting) in a turbo-prop powered drone with long slender wings,
where the pilot is operating on a slight time lag and looking through a
'soda-straw' isn't well-advised. But that is unlikely to be how the MQ-9
would employ such a weapon.
Other potential options for self defense may be on the horizon as well,
including miniaturized hit-to-kill defensive interceptors. Think of this
type of system as an active close-in defense kinetic capability for aircra .
Still, the AIM-9X is readily available and it would give the MQ-9 a good
defensive capability in murky, or semi-contested operational
environments and when patrolling very close to hostile territory. The
aircra is not designed to survive over highly-contested airspace.
Reaper As A Missile Truck
Another possibility is tting MQ-9s with AIM-120 AMRAAMs to serve as

forward-deployed air-to-air missiles platforms. This would allow a Reaper
to set up a combat air patrol of sorts over a location, with operators using
off-board sensor data to track and engage enemy targets.
This could be useful when setting up persistent deterrent patrols over key
areas, such as forward operating bases in regions where air superiority is
not assured. Compared to ghters, a loaded MQ-9 only needs gas roughly
once a day instead of every hour, and when it lls up its tank the bill is
way cheaper. Operational costs are also less than that of manned ghter
assets. And once again, its high-magni cation optical sensors could be
useful in identifying targets at long distances before ring.
USAF
A Reaper ground control station.
The threat from drones is drastically increasing as well as we have

discussed for years. One recent scenario that comes to mind where such a
concept could have been handy was the shoot down of two Iranian drones
over a forward operating base used by U.S. and allied forces near At Tanf,
Syria. A properly out tted Reaper could even work as a stand-in for
ground-based short-range air defense (SHORAD) systems, and even
medium ones as well, not to mention taking the place of ghters. The U.S.
military's SHORAD gap is well established, and efforts are nally moving
in the direction of closing it. In the future, a Reaper with a solid-state
laser could also work as a anti-small drone platform as well.
GENERAL ATOMICS
General Atomics' Advanced Ground Control Station.
An MQ-9 could also be used to carry extra missiles into an area where
ghters are present, with those ghters launching the MQ-9's missiles on
demand remotely once their own magazines run dry. This is a concept we
have talked about in great detail, but it's not as attractive an option for the
MOTORCYCLES THE WAR ZONE
MQ-9 as it's comparatively slow andCAR RADIO PODCAST
it may SHOP
have trouble surviving even on
the rear edge of contested territory.
Just a peek at what's to come
The introduction of the AIM-9X or the AIM-120 into the Reaper's weapons
portfolio is just an example of a radically altered unmanned aerial
battlespace that is emerging on the horizon—at least publicly speaking.
Although not popularly discussed, the air-to-air environment may be the
unmanned aircra 's best mission of all as I have laid out in my previous
special feature on the mysterious absence of high-end unmanned air
combat vehicles:
For so long UCAVs (Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles—

stealthy and advanced ghter sized drones) have been
seen as strictly deep strike and surveillance platforms,
but when networked together, they could offer an
incredible counter-air capability.
Even the subsonic and less than highly maneuverable but

very stealthy ying-wing UCAV con gurations that we
know of today could be absolutely devastating when it
comes to sanitizing enemy airspace. The same swarm
technology applies to the air-to-air realm as it does to
attacking pop-up SAM sites. In fact, under certain
circumstances enemy ghters may be an easier threat for
UCAVs to deal with than those emanating from the
ground.
Enemy aircra would have a very hard time remaining

undetected in airspace that an operational swarm of
UCAVs is operating in. Its cloud-like mind will leverage
feeds from the multitude of sensors carried by its
individual UCAVs, all spread over a wide area. In essence,
the swarm acts as is its own virtual AWACS, although in
some cases it is far superior as it is forward deployed,
can carry a diverse set of sensors spread over a wide
area, and the data it collects can be enacted upon
instantaneously.
If a potential enemy aircra is detected, even just for a

brief moment, multiple sensors aboard multiple UCAVs
can instantly and seamlessly steer their sensors (radar,
infrared etc) from multiple angles onto the single piece
of sky where the aircra was. Anti-stealth detection
tactics can then be employed, aimed at collectively
detecting an aircra well enough to build a weapons-
grade engagement track of it. Working as a team, the
swarm can then engage the target in question.
Once a track is established, the best UCAV or UCAVs

positioned to deal with it can be assigned the task of
doing so, making long-range coordinated missile shots at
the bad guy. Instead of using their own radars alone to
guide their missile shots, they can use the swarm’s

common “picture”
MOTORCYCLES THE WARto do so. CAR RADIO PODCAST
ZONE SHOP
In other words, the UCAV ring on the enemy aircra

does not even have to use its own sensors to do so as it
sees all the other UCAV’s sensor pictures fused together
and can use that data instead. This means certain UCAVs,
such as those closest to the threat aircra , can operate
“silent,” not emanating any electromagnetic energy.
Combined with the UCAV’s wide-band stealthy shape, low
infrared signature and radar-absorbent coatings, it is
unlikely the target will detect the attacking UCAVs at all.
Well at least until their missiles go “pitbull” and lock onto
the aircra during the terminal phase of their attacks,
which is likely far too late.
Possessing an extreme level of stealth, both in the radio

and infrared spectrum, and having near perfect
situational awareness, the UCAV swarm is really a ying
pack of telepathic robotic wolves that are all working
together to kill the bad guy in a coordinated manner.
Having a UCAV even sacri ce itself for the greater good
can be programmed as a viable tactical choice.
When it comes to the within-visual-range air combat

environment, the current types of UCAVs could never
turn successfully with a modern ghter jet. Yet with the
latest block of AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles, which are
capable of making greater than 180 degree snap turns
and locking onto an enemy aircra a er being launched
from an internal weapons bay, the UCAV may not have to
maneuver aggressively at all.
Then again, avoiding marauding ghters or attacking

them with so called "non-kinetic" weaponry would also
leverage the UCAV’s unique capabilities. Instead of
launching missiles, parts of the swarm could jam and
change course to keep themselves outside of the
detection range of enemy aircra . Or they could send
pinpoint electronic attacks and pencil-sized high-power
beams of electromagnetic energy chirped off by their
onboard AESA radars directly at the enemy ghters'
radars and radar-guided missile seekers, blinding,
disabling, or destroying them in the process. Even the
ability to swat incoming missiles out of the sky with
directed energy weapons is clearly on the horizon.
Finally, a fully air-to-air optimized UCAV design may be

the most awe-inspiring of all UCAVs as such an aircra ’s
maneuverability would not be limited by the crushing
gravitational forces a human pilot can endure. As such, a
UCAV designed to absolutely rule the air-to-air realm
could be able to sustain unheard of G forces, making
shooting it down with missiles, or trying to parry it in the
within-visual-range air combat realm, nearly useless.
Regardless of what's to come in regards to the future of air-to-air combat,

the MOTORCYCLES THE WAR ZONE
Reaper's evolution CAR RADIO PODCAST
is accelerating SHOP
a er its rst decade of service. Now
that its game-changing progenitor—an icon of modern warfare—is
bowing out of service, the MQ-9 will only become more trail-blazing in its
own right.
With all this in mind it will be very interesting to see what else the USAF
decides to do with its Reapers as it buzzes its way into a second decade of
service.
UPDATE: 3/10/18—
I had this image tweeted to me, looks like tment checks have already
occurred:
pic.twitter.com/aeykiBL8Yi
— 笑脸男人 (@lfx160219) March 10, 2018
USAF
Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com
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USAF Officially Retires MQ-1 Predator While MQ-9 Reaper Set To Gain Air-To-Air Missiles - The Drive

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3/19/2018 USAF Officially Retires MQ-1 Predator While MQ-9 Reaper Set To Gain Air-To-Air Missiles - The Drive

MOTORCYCLES THE WAR ZONE CAR RADIO PODCAST SHOP 🔍

USAF O icially Retires MQ-1

PREDATOR REAPER REMOTELY PILOTED VEHICLE RETIREMENT RPA RQ-1

COURTESY PHOTO—U.S. AIR FORCE

T he Reaper has come for the USAF's long-serving MQ-1 Predator

unmanned air warfare—most notably the ability to rain down precision

The @usairforce MQ1 is of cially retired. The contributions of the

A Predator and Reaper operating out of Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan.

A variety of surveillance, fuel, communications relay, and electronic

MOTORCYCLES THE WAR ZONE CAR RADIO PODCAST SHOP

Back to the future with unmanned air-to-air

In addition to a possible radar upgrade option, the Reaper is also going to

"Some Predators were armed with the AIM-92 Stinger

On Dec. 23, 2002—less than three months before

I wrote a bit more detailed account based on information I had heard

"By 2002 the saber-rattling between the Bush

reached a thundering crescendo. IAEA inspectors were

As tensions increased Saddam’s forces became more

From what I have heard about this unique footnote in

At rst the Predators would bait the Iraqi ghters to

The MiG-25 is thought to have red a medium range AA-6

In the end the little Predator, pretty much the slowest

And that my friends is how the future of unmanned air-

Stinger-laden Predators quickly fell out of fashion as the eet rapidly

MOTORCYCLES THE WAR ZONE CAR RADIO PODCAST SHOP

An air-to-air arrow for the MQ-9's quiver

It may be possible to slave the AIM-9X's seeker to the Reaper's sensor

Additionally, when upgraded with advanced threat sensing gear and

Reaper As A Missile Truck

Another possibility is tting MQ-9s with AIM-120 AMRAAMs to serve as

The threat from drones is drastically increasing as well as we have

General Atomics' Advanced Ground Control Station.

Just a peek at what's to come

For so long UCAVs (Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles—

Even the subsonic and less than highly maneuverable but

Enemy aircra would have a very hard time remaining

If a potential enemy aircra is detected, even just for a

Once a track is established, the best UCAV or UCAVs

guide their missile shots, they can use the swarm’s

In other words, the UCAV ring on the enemy aircra

Possessing an extreme level of stealth, both in the radio

When it comes to the within-visual-range air combat

Then again, avoiding marauding ghters or attacking

Finally, a fully air-to-air optimized UCAV design may be

Regardless of what's to come in regards to the future of air-to-air combat,

Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com

YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

Popular In the Community

AerialImaging BlueLobster TheDramaLlam… BuzzKillington Gol

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