The General Atomics [GA] MQ-9 Reaper/Predator B unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) successfully detected and tracked submerged contacts during an Oct. 12 U.S. Navy exercise, the company said on Monday.
This exercise had the Navy deploy sonobuoys that gathered acoustic data to track underwater targets. The data was then transmitted to and processed aboard an MQ-9. The information was then related to the MQ-9 Ground Control Station (GCS) hundreds of miles away. The flight test occurred over the Southern California Offshore Range (SCORE).
The exercise used Ultra Electronics-built sonobuoy receiver technology and General Dynamics [GD] data processing technology installed onboard the MQ-9. Using this data and technology, a track solution was calculated and transmitted to the GCS via satellite communications.
GA said this technology can help the MQ-9 supplement maritime mission sets by providing long-range patrol and relay capabilities.
“This test demonstrated the ability of our RPA to detect submarines and provide persistent tracking of submerged targets,” Linden Blue, CEO of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., said in a statement.
GA highlighted the Reaper was also loaded with the company’s Lynx Multi-mode Radar. The radar includes a Maritime Wide-area Search (MWAS) mode to detect maritime surface targets over a large area with Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR) for target classification.
The MQ-9 also has an electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) high-definite full-motion video (FMV) camera to help identify surface vessels. All of these sensors are linked to the Automatic Identification System (AIS) to verify target identities.
The company noted the Reaper can be fitted with a centerline pod with a 360-degree field of regard maritime surface search radar to boost surveillance over water.