After flying its jet-powered UAV, General Atomics looks ahead

摘要

Now that General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has unveiled its jet-powered UAV, the California-based company's next step will be to persuade the U.S. Air Force, or perhaps other customers, to buy it. The company flew the Predator C Avenger on a series of flights over its Gray Butte Flight Operations Facility in California in April, and distributed photos showing its stealthy shape. The Avenger is designed to improve upon the capabilities of the MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-1 Predator aircraft, said Thomas Cassidy, president of the company's Air Systems Group. At 41 feet long with a 66-foot wingspan, the Avenger is slightly larger than the Reaper. But the real difference is its propulsion: the jet-powered Avenger can fly 460 miles per hour, about twice as fast as the turboprop-equipped Reaper. Cassidy said his company might discover during testing that the Avenger is even faster than 460 mph.