Predator-B Gets Design Award

General Atomics' newest version of its Predator unmanned aerial vehicle has won the Design Innovation Award handed out by Unmanned Vehicle magazine on the eve of the Paris Air Show.

The jet-powered derivative of the combat-proven Predator UAV was conceived in 1999 and was jointly funded by General Atomics and NASA.

There are several variants. Predator B 001, which will continue flight testing through early 2002, is powered by a Honeywell TPE-331-10T turboprop. It will be capable of carrying a 750-pound payload and will fly at greater than 200 knots up to 45,000 feet.

Predator B 002 will be a pure jet and should be capable of speeds up to 270 knots and an altitude of 60,000 feet. Predator B 003, named Altair, is geared towards scientific and commercial applications needing large payloads. Operating altitude could reach 50,000 feet.

General Atomics hopes the "B" version will find favor with both military and commercial customers. The military version will be able to stand off further from a threat area than the current aircraft. It should be able to carry several payloads at the same time, including a synthetic aperture radar all-weather reconnaissance system, a laser target designator, weapons, and other gear.

The U.S. Air Force is already exploring the use of armed UAVs, having equipped the regular Predator with a laser target designator and a Hellfire missile which destroyed ground targets in an initial test series.