MQ-9 Reaper clocks record-high flight hours
A General Atomics Predator B/MQ-9 UAS has clocked 20,000 flight hours, the company said on 12 January. This marks a record high for a single aircraft and the highest flight time for a Predator B.
The milestone was achieved while performing a 17-hour combat mission in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan on 23 December 2014.
The record-breaking aircraft flew its first flight on 31 January 31 2008 and has accumulated 1,355 flights, with almost 100% of those flights having been flown in direct support of overseas contingency operations.
The multi-mission Predator B is a long-endurance, medium-high-altitude UAS that can be used for surveillance, military reconnaissance, and targeting missions. The current aircraft configuration features an extensive payload capacity (850lbs internally, 3,000 lbs externally), with a maximum gross take-off weight of 10,500lbs and a maximum altitude of 50,000 feet. It can stay aloft for up to 27 hours.
The standard payload configuration includes a high-definition, optical Infrared (IR) video system and a high-resolution ground imaging radar (SAR). The radar also has Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI) and Maritime Wide-area Search (MWAS) modes.
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