WASHINGTON - In the 2000s, semi-autonomous unmanned air combat vehicle (UCAV) technology was proving to be the greatest revolution in air combat since the jet engine, then it disappeared totally from the Air Force plans and nomenclature. It was as if the idea of stealthy, long-range drones simply never existed. Now, as the U.S. faces growing threats from peer state competitors with highly capable integrated air defense systems, environments in which the Air Force's current fleet of MQ-9 Reaper drones cannot survive, the UCAV has suddenly become the next big item on the Air Force's shopping list, Tyler Rogoway reports for The Drive. Continue reading original article.
The Intelligent Aerospace take:
November 11, 2020 -In Tyler Rogoway's long-form interview with Northrop Grumman VP Richard Sullivan, the executive discusses Northrop's X-47 demonstrators, the RQ-4 Global Hawk, and the MQ-Next initiative to replace the MQ-9 reaper with a next-gen autonomous unmanned stealthy drone for the U.S. Air Force.
Related: GA-ASI and L3 Technologies develop and fly full-band signals intelligence solution for MQ-9
Related: General Atomics to upgrade MQ-9 Reaper UAVs with new data multiplexers, avionics control
Related: USMC makes first operational flight in Middle East using GA-ASI MQ-9A
Jamie Whitney, Associate Editor
Intelligent Aerospace
