Posted on 08/21/2019 5:13:31 AM PDT by McGruff
4 blade Prop,,,
Sad.
Three blades is the regular Reaper, four blades is a Reaper ER: http://www.ga.com/us-air-force-fields-mq-9-reaper-extended-range
In that case, arm some drones with AGM-88s.
Most (if not all) of the MQ-9 inventory doesn’t have radar warning receivers on them. The manufacturer’s first demo flight of an MQ-9 with an RWR was only two years ago; I am unaware of the US deciding to buy any, or even if the thing is out of testing and evaluation yet:
http://www.ga-asi.com/ga-asis-predator-b-demonstrates-threat-radar-detection
So your typical MQ-9 wouldn’t know when it’s being painted to even be able to fire a HARM.
Perhaps there is now an incentive to change that situation.
-shrug- If you check, the Houthis have been steadily shooting down MQ-9s in the last few years. Doesn’t seem to be a priority for our military.
Recently, I had a conversation with a USAF Colonel who ran a 'drone' control center in the US. An on-site forward air controller was calling in a drone strike on an enemy target. This colonel was supervising several drone operators and was responsible for giving clearance to fire.
This particular mission just 'seemed a bit off' to him, so he radioed to the forward air controller on the ground thousands of miles away, telling him, "Wave at me". The on-screen image at the "target" co-ordinates showed a man in uniform waving at the sky.
"Be advised - you've swapped your co-ordinates with those of your requested target."
OOOOOPS!
(attention to detail matters!)
:-)
I bet he, FAC, don’t do that again!...................
Many modern surveillance satellites do provide real time video.
But they don’t stay still..................
So? Cameras on gimbals are a thing and have been for decades. The detail level isn’t always as good as one taking stills, but even the still cameras are on gimbals and related stabilizers.
The MQ-9 in this article is almost two decades old. It mounts video cameras, but the MQ-9 doesn’t stay still.
Yet it produces video. How can this be? It doesn’t stay still!
What is this witchcraft? Stabilized video? IMPOSSIBRU! IT DOESN’T STAY STILL!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZE7wol0dHhU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4rC3D1HqU4
You can even buy a handheld gimbal system for your terrestrial action camera these days. Straight over the counter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drOFHt36FW8
This is *decades* old technology.
By ‘staying still’ I meant the satellites were constantly moving in orbit..............
Yup. And that means that their camera has to be able to move. Any satellite with a direct line of sight to the point of interest on the surface can get video of it. It may be at an angle, but it can get it. Satellites do not have to be directly overhead to get vision of a point, nor do they have to stop and go geostationary to surveil an area.
Or put another way, a satellite in a sufficiently high orbit can, while passing over Los Angeles and heading west, still send you live, real time video of New York City. Perhaps not terribly useful video of NYC depending on the camera resolution, but it can still see and send you video of NYC.
Yup,
Extra
Fuel Tanks.
And a number of other things.
Wild weasels!
“Can’t launch a Hellfire from a satellite.”
not yet ...
Have a G.A. DAY!
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