Altair, the newest addition to the General Atomics-Aeronautical
Systems Inc (GA-ASI) Predator family, made its first flight on
June 9. Powered by a Honeywell 331-10 turboprop, the Altair is
similar to the USAF's MQ-9A Predator B, but has an 86-ft wingspan
and a cruising altitude well above 50,000 feet. Altair was originally
funded by NASA for high-altitude research, but GA-ASI now intends
to offer it to the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard as the Predator B-ER,
for maritime surveillance operations. It is suited for maritime
patrol because of its heavy payload and 44-hour endurance. However,
NASA will employ the first Altair for a test program to show how
UAVs can operate routinely in national airspace. Like the MQ-9A,
it has a fault-tolerant flight control system and triple redundant
avionics.
