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By 2009 the us Army will be able to operate A
Medium Altitude Long
Endurance (MALE) system, called Extended Range Multi-Purpose
(ER/MP), which will provide persistent intelligence gathering
capability, offering surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) in addition
to limited direct attack capabilities (by means of weapons such as the
Viper Strike or Hellfire). Warrior, a derivative of the
US Air Force Predator UAV, will
augment and later replace existing systems including
MQ-5B Hunter and IGnat. The ERMP will
support Army units at division and corps levels. The selection of
General Atomics Warrior UAV for the $1 billion program was announced
by the US Army in August 2005. The new UAVs is scheduled to become
operational by 2009. Unlike the current
Hunter, the Army plans to field up to 132 General Atomics Warrior
UAVs at the division level. Each of the 11 units will contain five
ground stations and up to 12 aerial vehicles. (Continue...)
The Warrior will be operating in Reconnaissance,
Surveillance and Target Acquisition (RSTA) and command, control,
communications and intelligence (C31) system. The new UAV will operate
at ranges of 200 nautical miles and an altitude of 25,000 feet, carry
a payload of 800 pounds and will be able to remain in position for up
to 36 hours. The US Army is planning to field an advanced UAV which
will assume some of the roles currently performed by the Air Force's
Predator.
Similar to the Predator, Warrior will be equipped with an
MTS class multi-system E/O payload for day
and night observation, and
Synthetic Aperture Radar
(SAR) with Ground Moving Target Indication (GMTI) capability to
spot moving targets. Apart from intelligence gathering missions,
Warrior will provide an airborne communications node, providing
essential radio and data relay for the Warfighter Information Network
– Tactical (WIN-T) battlefield network. JTRS
radios to be included in the system's standard equipment package will
enable the Warrior to provide communications relay to EPLRS or
SINCGARS networks to support forward and isolated units located ahead
of the main forces, out of ground communications reach. This service
will be critical to support "blue force tracking" – a service which
monitors locations and status of friendly forces. By operating as
"pseudo satellite", Warrior will be able to carry out such mission
without affecting its primary reconnaissance and intelligence
gathering role.
The UAV will have wing hardpoints for external stores
including expendable sensors and weapons. Up to four
Hellfire /
Viper-Strike weapons
could be carried. (Testing Viper Strike weapons with Predator UAVs are
planned for 2006). While the aerial platform will be new, the Army is
trying to minimize the logistical burden by standardizing the ground
support systems. Therefore, Warrior will utilize the AAI's 'One
System', ground control station which is already used with other UAVs,
and is expected to be used by all the Army's unmanned systems,
including future rotorcraft (Class IV UAV), to become an integral part
of the Future Combat Systems (FCS). The goal is to be able to move
operators from one system to another with few weeks - rather than many
months of training.
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