Description
MQ-1 Predator - UCAV (unmanned combat aerial vehicle) manufactured by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems - an American defense and energy corporation. It was used by United States Air Force and Central Intelligence Agency. The drone was used in Afghanistan, Pakistan, as well as during the intervention of NATO in Bosnia. Recently, it was used in 2014, during the intervention in Syria.
Variants
The General Atomics MQ-1 Predator was launched in multiple version since it was used in combat in 1995. Among all the types of the drone, we can indicate the serie 1 (RQ-1A, RQ-1K, RQ-1B, RQ-1L), MQ-1 serie (MQ-1A Predator, MQ-1B Predator), Predator XP and MQ-1C.
Operators
Many countries were or are still using the General Atomics MQ-1 Predator. Among those, there are: Italy, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Morocco. It was used by United States and many of their national forces, such as United States Air Force or Air National Guard, mainly during offensive operations as a remotely piloted aircraft. The MQ-1 Predator was retired in US in 2018 and replaced with the Reaper.
Specifications
The General Atomics MQ-1 Predator can achieve maximum speed of 217 km/h. When it comes to cruise speed, it can vary between 130 and 170 km/h. Stall speed ot the drone is about 100 km/h.The range of the device is about 1250 km and endurance - around 24 hours of uninterrupted flight. The maximum height at which an aircraft can sustain a specified rate of climb is 7600 m.When it comes to armament, the MQ-1 Predator is equipped with two hardpoints, capable of carrying a combination of 2 AGM-114 Hellfire (model MQ-1B), 4 AIM-92 Stinger (same model as previously) or 6 AGM-176 Griffin (which are air to surface combat missiles).
