General Atomics’ owned MQ-9B crossing the Atlantic to attend RIAT

[Ghost from above]

General Atomics will bring its company-owned MQ-9B SkyGuardian unmanned aerial vehicle to the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) airshow next month and it intends to fly it from the company’s Flight Test and Training Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota to RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.

http://www.ga-asi.com/ga-asi-to-fly-fir ... a-male-rpa

[Mavke]

Would be nice if its full adsb , so we can follow it during this flight !

[sgtangel]

I don't follow model aircraft!!.

+1.

[big john]

Not only that its Civil. Reg is N190TC hex A169D7.

[GUNHOG]

I don't follow model aircraft!!.

+1.

Err? It's not a model aircraft!

[Sparts99]

Maybe a daft question, but why do this style of drone seem to have cockpit shaped humps? if it's full of electronics etc why not just make the nose a few feet longer? Wouldn't that make manufacturing slightly easier?

[TonyO]

These humps are dielectric and are designed to fit the satellite communications antenna and give it room to look almost towards the horizon depending on where the controlling satellites are in the sky.
UAVs without humps are usually flown radio-line of sight.

[turmo]

The PR around this is curious, lots of conditional statements. There's nothing novel about the planned flight; the bigger Global Hawk UAV autonomously crossed the Atlantic and Pacific oceans over a decade ago. It is routinely used by NASA for hurricane-following flights out over the Atlantic.

Yes it's interesting that GA are bringing their UAV / RPV / whatsit to RIAT but I don't see why it needs to be sexed-up.

[Fighterfoto]

I guess it’s because this is the first time a ‘medium-altitude’ RPAS has flown across an ocean. GA are also actively marketing the aircraft, the UK is the only customer at present, hence the sales pitching.

[Sparts99]

Thanks Tony O, makes perfect sense.

[big john]

A link to the restricted airspace for the arrival of this thing Here:-
http://www.fightercontrol.co.uk/forum/v ... 7#p1006311
Looks like it'll be mixing it with the airliners across the Atlantic? could be fun!

[GUNHOG]

Hi BJ,

I think this is the reason for the flight?

An extract from the GA website regarding it:-

"MQ-9B is the latest evolution of GA-ASI’s multi-mission Predator® B fleet. GA-ASI named its baseline MQ-9B aircraft SkyGuardian, and the maritime surveillance variant SeaGuardian. MQ-9B is a “certifiable” (STANAG 4671-compliant) version of the MQ-9 Predator B product line. Its development is the result of a five-year, company-funded effort to deliver a RPA that can meet the stringent airworthiness type-certification requirements of various military and civil authorities, including the UK Military Airworthiness Authority (MAA) and the U.S. FAA. Type-certification, together with an extensively tested collision avoidance system, will allow unrestricted operations in all classes of civil airspace.

Several important MQ-9B milestones were achieved in recent months, including the first FAA-approved flight for a company-owned RPA through non-segregated civil airspace without a chase aircraft, and an endurance record of more than 48 hours of continuous flight.

As part of the trans-Atlantic flight, GA-ASI has partnered with Inmarsat, the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications (SATCOM) services. Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband SATCOM will be used by the MQ-9B’s ground control station to communicate and control the aircraft and also will be used in the RPA’s final configuration for capabilities such as automatic takeoff and landing."

Kev

[paddyboy]

Hi John



Love to T

Paddyboy

[TonyO]

KEVB. Yes it is a model aircraft. Anything that is remotely piloted is no different, basically, and from my point of view, from a large radio-controlled MODEL. Sorry, not interested.Just been having this discussion with a friend in Croydon, who says it's not a model,but could not define at what point a radio controlled model becomes a real aircraft. Whilst we had this discussion, my bungalow was beaten up by a formation of 8 Apaches, travelling west from Bury St. Edmunds direction. 'Ride of the Valkyries came to mind!!! [for us older members!!.

Just by the dictionary definition of model, you are wrong. A model is a representation of something, and given there is not a manned Reaper/Protector to model from, and nor is it scaled down from a larger machine, it is therefore not a model.

[Ghastly Whisper]

KEVB. Yes it is a model aircraft. Anything that is remotely piloted is no different, basically, and from my point of view, from a large radio-controlled MODEL. Sorry, not interested.Just been having this discussion with a friend in Croydon, who says it's not a model,but could not define at what point a radio controlled model becomes a real aircraft. Whilst we had this discussion, my bungalow was beaten up by a formation of 8 Apaches, travelling west from Bury St. Edmunds direction. 'Ride of the Valkyries came to mind!!! [for us older members!!.

Just by the dictionary definition of model, you are wrong. A model is a representation of something, and given there is not a manned Reaper/Protector to model from, and nor is it scaled down from a larger machine, it is therefore not a model.

It is not anything interesting either

[effects]

KEVB. Yes it is a model aircraft. Anything that is remotely piloted is no different, basically, and from my point of view, from a large radio-controlled MODEL. Sorry, not interested.Just been having this discussion with a friend in Croydon, who says it's not a model,but could not define at what point a radio controlled model becomes a real aircraft. Whilst we had this discussion, my bungalow was beaten up by a formation of 8 Apaches, travelling west from Bury St. Edmunds direction. 'Ride of the Valkyries came to mind!!! [for us older members!!.

Just by the dictionary definition of model, you are wrong. A model is a representation of something, and given there is not a manned Reaper/Protector to model from, and nor is it scaled down from a larger machine, it is therefore not a model.

It is not anything interesting either

Several years ago I had the pleasure to visit the USAF predator det at Ali Al Salem, once you have had 'the tour' I would challenge anyone on here to be unimpressed.

[GUNHOG]

Just by the dictionary definition of model, you are wrong. A model is a representation of something, and given there is not a manned Reaper/Protector to model from, and nor is it scaled down from a larger machine, it is therefore not a model.

It is not anything interesting either

Several years ago I had the pleasure to visit the USAF predator det at Ali Al Salem, once you have had 'the tour' I would challenge anyone on here to be unimpressed.

[100arw]

Maybe the RAF think it's suitable to attend, as it forms the basis for their future "Protector" remotely-piloted air system (RPAS).
P.

[Redflag17]

Any news on when it will get in - before kick off??

[Gary]

Post on one of the facebook pages, say mid to late afternoon. Is there only one MQ-9B (N190TC)? Flightaware has it a Grand Forks, or that was the last track https://uk.flightaware.com/live/flight/N190TC