General Atomics Unveils Latest Predator Family Member | Aviation International News

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

General Atomics Unveils Latest Predator Family Member

The Mojave unmanned aircraft system draws on the Reaper and Gray Eagle-ER, but focuses on greater payload and short/rough-field operations.

The Mojave UAS has been undergoing flight tests since the summer. (Photo: GA-ASI)

By David Donald • Contributor - UK

December 13, 2021

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) unveiled on December 9 a new unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which it has dubbed the Mojave after the Californian desert area in which the company’s development and production facilities are located. The air vehicle is the latest development of the original Predator A/B series, which has spawned the Predator XP, Reaper, SkyGuardian, and Gray Eagle. A Mojave prototype flew in the summer, said GA-ASI, and is “continuing to demonstrate exceptional short-field performance and other unique qualities.”

Based on the avionics and flight control systems of the MQ-9A Reaper and MQ-1C Gray Eagle-ER, the Mojave has a 450-hp Rolls-Royce M250 turboprop engine and large wings with a broader chord than early GA-ASI designs. High-lift devices are also incorporated—leading-edge slats, flaps and drooping ailerons—that combine with the increased wing area to give short takeoff and landing (STOL) capability, and also the ability to haul heavier loads. A beefed-up undercarriage caters for operations from unimproved surfaces.

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