i hope the picture worked for you
Where’s the link to see the picture?
Is it equipped with a self destruct or detonator switch? If the Russians want to mess with it and destroy it, they should know that it might be dangerous for them too. However, with our inept and neutered leadership, we’ll just EAT IT with our tails between our legs.
Not much smaller than a small military jet.
Bigger than a bread box.
It’s a turbo-prop, what do you think?
CBS evening news reported that the Reaper cost $57 million. I believe they were quoting what the U.S. Air Force said. On the other hand ABC Nightly news reported $30 million +. Both news organizations said the U.S. was able to fly the damaged reaper at a substantial distance away from site of the collision. So the reaper might not have been flying at maximum speed when it hit the water. The reaper may not be as damaged as the military hopes.
I bet we could configure some ‘dummy’ drones that size that could stay aloft for days, and just scare the bejeebers out of everyone (that its up there), without an actual payload- all fuel and some surveillance equipment
“How big do you think the MQ-9 Reaper drone is?”
It might be slow and lightweight enough for an SU-27 to be able to blow it down with a vectored power blast from its exhaust.
But dump a load of fuel in it’s face and it’s going tits up
Yup... that’s what the Russians did to our drone.
Flew right up next to it and pissed on it.
Bigger than a breadbox?
Looks kind of ‘stealthy’. Guess that doesn’t work against Russia these days. Wonder what the B2, F35, and F117A pilots think of it being hunted down so easily?
The interesting thing here is while we seem to be talking small wwll fighter this thing can remain aloft for 35 hours. Wonder how they worked that out?
I think the total cost depends on the packages it is equipped with. I am sure the surveillance package is more expensive than a load of hellfires.
It likely did not have a transponder working when it was in its loitering race track pattern. But, it absolutely had its transponder working when it flew from its base to the station as it would have been crossing commercial air space.
And a transponder being turned off just makes it a big chink of metal in the air; it doesn’t make the profile disappear. Everyone with radar could see a profile—although it would be small. People tracking it would see it come in, turn off the transponder, and watch it loiter.
Recognize the black silhouette under the MQ9?