Marines would receive that capability later in 2022, InsideDefense reported, adding that additional electronic warfare capabilities are on the way as well as payloads that enhance the Reaper’s ability to conduct essential Marine Corps missions in the Pacific, such as airborne early warning and maritime surface search.Įarlier in 2022, Berger suggested the Corps’ need for organic intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance would drive it to invest in even more large drone platforms. This would give the drone Link-16 networking and communication capabilities, allowing for communication and coordination with ground forces. ![]() In May, the Navy published a presolicitation notice announcing its intent to procure hardware needed to integrate the SkyTower 1 Pod onto the Reaper. In 2021 GA-ASI also debuted a short takeoff-and-landing, or STOL, version of the MQ-9 that can launch from ships, a modification that would allow the drone to better support Marine expeditionary units and provide cover and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance as Marines move from ship to shore. In 2022, Berger announced the service would stand up a first Reaper squadron in Hawaii as part of its Pacific focus. And after a long journey to acquire MQ-9 Reaper drones, the first Marine Corps UAVs that fit into the largest “group 5 UAS” category, the service is ready in 2023 to innovate and put these systems through their paces.Īfter several years of leasing Reapers from General Atomics ASI, t he Corps took possession of two of its own MQ-9s in 2021. In that 2020 document, he also said the force needed six active-component unmanned aerial vehicle squadrons, up from the current three. While the Air Force has defined “attritable” aircraft as costing between $2 million and $20 million, Marine Corps budget documents describe the prototypes it wants as “highly attritable,” indicating it is after an even cheaper and less exquisite platform. Boeing, which has partnered with the Royal Australian Air Force on the effort, debuted an attritable unmanned aircraft that can partner with manned fighters ahead of the 2021 Dubai Air Show. This description aligns with “loyal wingman” drone concepts such as those developed by Northrop Grumman and Boeing. Plans include the start of “development of partnering crewed assets with attritable, risk-worthy uncrewed assets that will employ weapons, sensors, and communications suites to execute mission sets in an operationally relevant environment,” budget documents state. The Marine Corps’ investment in experimentation with attritable aircraft, essentially, cheap and plentiful drones that can be deployed in swarms or on riskier missions because their loss won’t break the bank, is a relatively new line of effort for the service.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |