Predator® UAS

Named by Smithsonian’s Air & Space magazine as one of the top ten aircraft that changed the world, Predator is the most combat-proven Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) in the world.  Providing essential situational awareness for the warfighter, Predators continue to excel in combat missions focusing on Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), targeting, forward air control, laser designation, weapons delivery, and bomb damage assessment.  First flown in 1994, Predator is the first-ever weaponized UAS and features precision air-to-ground weapons delivery capability.  Offering unprecedented reliability, Predator has the highest operational readiness rate in the U.S. Air Force and is also operational with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Government, and the Italian Air Force.

Flying up to 25,000 feet and with an endurance of 40 hours, Predator incorporates numerous payloads, including Electro-optical/Infrared (EO/IR) video cameras, laser designators, and Hellfire missiles.  Additionally, the aircraft may be equipped with GA-ASI’s Lynx® Multi-mode Radar, a highly sophisticated all-weather radar that displays photographic quality imagery of targets. 

The U.S. Army’s Predator variant, the I-GNAT® ER/Sky Warrior® Alpha, provides the precision capability to detect, identify, track, and engage time-sensitive targets in support of Army and U.S. Marine Corps ground forces.

Performance

Max Altitude 25,000 ft
Max Endurance 40 hr
Max Airspeed 120 KTAS

The Most Successful UAS in History

  • First UAS to be controlled via satellite data link
  • First UAS to be equipped with onboard communication capability
  • First UAS to support manned aircraft with target laser designation
  • First UAS to fire precision-guided air-to-ground missiles in combat
  • First UAS to employ an air-to-air missile capability
  • Numerous deployments in the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, and other world trouble spots
  • Over 250 Predators built to date
  • C-130 transportable