![]() For example, there is a 1.5- to 2.5-second delay between manual control input and video feed. The job, though, doesn’t come without its quirks. The two cameras can be pulled up on different screens in the control center. The one on the nose, he said, does not have great resolution so it’s used mostly to check the weather while the other camera stays focused on the ground. Klein says the Predator has two cameras: one on the bottom of the dome and one on the nose. But most of his time is spent monitoring. Every now and then the situation gets intense and Klein is required to fire. But its main job - and the only job of the Global Hawk - is ISR. He describes his job at 99% boredom and 1% adrenaline rush, which is exactly how others have described it to him. MQ-1B has a wingspan of 55 feet, is 27 feet in length, 7 feet tall and has an empty weight of 1,130 pounds.īased in Las Vegas, Klein flies his drone over the Middle East. Its radar has a maritime wide area search mode. The Predator drone also has a ground moving target indicator, and an automatic identification system. This includes electro-optical infrared cameras and multi-mode radar the latter features synthetic aperture radar mode. The Predator XP features both line-of-sight and beyond-line-of-sight data link systems, and can be integrated with multiple intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) sensors. The Predator XP is the latest version of the family, which started with RQ-1 first flown by the Air Force in 1995. “You can put it on autopilot, but you do have a joystick, you have throttle, you have all that, so you do fly the aircraft. “On the Predators and Reapers, we deploy weapons, so that's probably the biggest difference. But there is a difference between flying a Global Hawk and flying a Reaper or Predator. Klein says this is a welcome move as the Predator and Reaper have been undermanned. When replaced with enlisted airmen, some of the former Global Hawk pilots would then be assigned to a different drone. Air Force's fleet of drones conducts combat and non-combat missions globally. The flight plan is pre-programmed, so the main duty is to watch the live video feed. The Global Hawk is the only one of the three drones that is not equipped with weapons, and has the most potential for an uneventful day at the controls. James Klein, although some Global Hawk pilots were sorry to lose their position, most were not upset. Originally, only officers could fly the Global Hawk, and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.'s MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper (called “Predator B” by the manufacturer). Air Force selected 30 enlisted airmen for the next phase of drone pilot training for the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk last week. Air Force by Airman 1st Class Christian Clausen. The aircraft are assigned to the 432nd Wing, which trains pilots, sensor operators and other remotely piloted aircraft crewmembers, and conducts combat surveillance and attack operations worldwide. An MQ-1B Predator, left, and an MQ-9 Reaper taxi to the runway in preparation for takeoff.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |