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MQ-20 Avenger / Predator C

The MQ-9 Reaper is slated to be replaced by 2030 with the developmental MQ-20 Avenger (formerly Predator C) . Unlike predecessors MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper drones, the Avenger is powered by a turbofan engine and its design includes stealth features like internal weapons storage and S-shaped exhaust for reduced infrared and radar signatures. It can also fly up to 18 hours, reaching speeds of 400 mph and altitudes up to 50,000 feet. Its main mission is combat, as it carries an assortment of bombs and missiles attached to its six external hardpoints or inside the weapons bay that can hold up to 3,500 pounds.

The General Atomics MQ-20 Avenger (formerly Predator C), as with Predator® B, was developed through the foresight and internal funding of GA-ASI. Its unique design and speed increases its survivability in higher threat environments and provides customers with an expanded quick-response armed reconnaissance capability. The first flight of Predator C occurred in April 2009. The current production version has an increased wingspan of 76 feet with additional fuel capacity resulting in an endurance increase to over 20 hours. The Avenger ER (Extended Range) first flew in October 2016 and completed an expanded flight test program in 2017.

The high-speed, multi-mission Avenger ER is a long-endurance, medium-to-high-altitude Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) system that can perform wide-area surveillance, time-sensitive strike missions over land or sea, and a host of other challenging military or civilian missions. The aircraft has much higher operational and transit speeds than current Predator B-series aircraft, resulting in quick response and rapid repositioning for improved mission flexibility and survivability.

Avenger is a highly advanced, next-generation RPA. The jet-powered aircraft is equipped with a commercial Pratt & Whitney turbofan engine capable of producing over 5,000 pounds of thrust, resulting in a runway length requirement of under 5,000 feet. The engine is designed for greater fuel economy and features class-leading fuel consumption components. Avenger can operate at speeds up to 400 KTAS, at an altitude of over 50,000 feet, and 20+ hours of endurance. Its significant wing hard point payload mounting capacity enables it to carry multiple sensors, while its internal weapons bay can house 3,000 pounds of precision munitions or larger sensor payloads.

The Avenger ER employs the same materials and avionics as Predator B and is likewise controlled from the same fully-interoperable GA-ASI Ground Control Stations (GCS) used for operating Predator-series aircraft. Avenger's low operating cost combined with high-altitude persistence make it an ideal platform to augment existing Low Density High Demand (LDHD) aircraft with long range RADAR, Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), communication relay payloads or weapons. In a contested environment the Avenger platform can penetrate Weapon Engagement Zones (WEZ) of adversary Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (SAMs) without risking human life, or fly with long range sensors outside of the WEZ of even the longest range, strategic SAMs.

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) demonstrated its hardware-agnostic, open standards-based autonomy ecosystem for Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAVs) on a GA-ASI MQ-20 Avenger® as part of a live flight test on Nov. 13, 2023. The flight included three software-defined radios (SDRs) from L3Harris Technologies to support Line-of-Sight (LOS), command and control, and data movement capabilities via Waveform X.

One SDR, an L3Harris’ Pantera, was integrated into the MQ-20 unmanned aircraft, and a second was on the ground working in concert with a third L3Harris SDR, BANSHEE 2, which was on the ground as part of the Mission Control Element, forming an IP-based Mesh Network. The demonstration showcased Waveform X, a non-proprietary U.S. government-owned communications capability, and the ability to fly, flip, fly flight hardware as part of the Open Mission Systems (OMS) and skills based unmanned autonomy ecosystem.

The flight demonstrated the ability to rapidly plug and play both U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force (USAF) autonomous unmanned technologies together. It further leveraged autonomy from three separate sources: government-provided human-machine interface (HMI) hardware, GA-ASI’s autonomy core, and orchestration of these components using Waveform X.

Autonomy skills were used to meet multiple objectives for collaborative combat missions and close the Find, Fix, Track, Target, Engage, and Assess (F2T2EA) engagement chain using a mix of Live, Virtual, and Constructive (LVC) entities. The flight, which took place at GA-ASI’s Desert Horizon Flight Operations Facility in El Mirage, Calif., illustrates the company’s commitment to maturing future Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP) technologies using the MQ-20 as a flying test bed.

“This flight underscores GA-ASI’s commitment to proving combat operational readiness for defense contractor products such as L3Harris’ Pantera and BANSHEE 2 radios, as well as open, vendor-agnostic autonomy architecture for UCAV platforms,” said GA-ASI Vice President of Advanced Programs Michael Atwood. “This most recent test shows multi-service compatibility of the autonomy core through the integration of USAF and Navy software skills, bringing us one step closer to government-owned, skills based interservice ecosystem for ACPs.”

Another important goal of GA-ASI’s flights is to demonstrate the company’s commitment to developing an open government standards-based autonomy ecosystem that enables rapid integration and validation of third-party tactical software applications. GA-ASI is focused on supporting the emerging government-managed App Store-based model that allows organizations to rapidly develop and deploy software while maintaining safety of flight and ensuring warfighters have up-to-date access to the industry’s best capabilities.

On November 5, 2024, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) used its MQ-20 Avenger® Unmanned Aircraft System to perform commanded autonomy maneuvers as part of a demonstration with the U.S. Navy (USN). The USN used its MD-5 Ground Control Station (GCS) with Lockheed Martin’s MDCX™ autonomy platform to command and control the jet-powered UAS. Working collaboratively with the USN and Lockheed Martin, the GA-ASI team successfully executed the flight demonstration over a Proliferated Low Earth Orbit (PLEO) datalink.

The demonstration was part of an effort to advance technology for future Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). GA-ASI initiated the demonstration between PMA-268 and Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works to demonstrate connectivity between the Navy’s UMCS and GA-ASI’s MQ-20 Avenger. MQ-20 is a jet-powered platform used extensively as a CCA surrogate test bed for autonomous UAS technology development. GA-ASI was recently selected for the U.S. Air Force’s CCA program.