Certifiable Predator B: Enabling Operations in National Airspace

摘要

Firefighting. Flood monitoring. Border patrol. Humanitarian assistance. Manufactured by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), Predator® B Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) conduct these and many other challenging missions in support of domestic operations within the U.S. National Airspace System (NAS) on a routine basis, and have done so for over a decade. Predator B has reshaped the aviation landscape within America's borders and has been accepted in the NAS because it is reliable and has an instrument-rated pilot-in-the-loop. The U.S. Government's interest in this aircraft continues to soar primarily due to the military's successful routine use of Predator B/MQ-9 Reaper~® in a variety of operating environments worldwide. Since this particular RPAS is remotely operated, the aircraft has become America's go-to aviation asset, allowing the military to facilitate dangerous long-endurance missions without risk to pilots' lives. Additionally, Predator B can remain airborne for over a day - far greater than manned jets.