Preditor Program Cost and Contract Overview

RQ-1 Predator/MQ-9 Reaper

Unmanned Aerial VehiclesJune 2010

Program Briefing

The RQ-1A Predator is the US AirForce’s first medium endurance UAV.The Predator stemmed from the ear-lier Tier 1 and Tier 2 Medium Endur-ance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(MAE-UAV). The Tier 1 was devel-oped primarily under CIA funding,and was operationally deployed forsurveillance missions over the formerYugoslavia in 1993-94. It used theGeneral Atomics Gnat 750 air vehi-cle.

The upgraded vers ion, theGnat-750-TE Predator won theDoD’s Tier 2 competition with a de-velopment award in January 1994 andin 1997 was redesignated as theRQ-1A Predator. The Predator wasfirst deployed over Bosnia in the sum-mer of 1995. The US Air Force as-sumed operational control of thePredator on 2 September 1996. Thearmed version of the RQ-1 Predator isdesignated as the MQ-1B Predator A

The armed forces reached finalagreement on the system’s joint oper-ational requirements document in thesummer of 1997, and Predator be-came the first ACTD program to beapproved for procurement in August1997. The first series production con-tract for two GCS and 8 air vehicleswas awarded to General Atomics on20 August 1997. The US Air Forcehad a requirement for 12 systems and101 air vehicles, but this number hassteadily increased and totaled 320through FY10. General Atomics de-livered its 100th Predator on 5 Febru-ary 2004. In 2007, the Air forcereported it had lost about 49 of 90 op-eration Predators due to combat andaccidents. In 2009, the Air Force an-nounced plans to terminate MQ-1

Predator acquisition in favor ofswitching entirely to the MQ-9Reaper.

A new version of the Predator wasannounced in 2000, the Predator-Bwhich was first acquired by NASAfor research purposes . In i tshunter-killer version for the AirForce, it is designated as the MQ-9AReaper. The Air Force has been ac-quiring the MQ-9A alongside theMQ-1A Predator but in 2009 decidedto shift entirely to the reaper. Procure-ment through FY10 has been 91 airvehicles.

The US Army awarded a contractin May 2003 for three IGNAT UAVsbased on the Predator to help defineits UAV requirements for a divi-sional/corps level UAV called the Ex-tended Range Multipurpose UAV(ERMP). APredator derivative calledMQ-1C Sky Warrior won the ArmyERMP competition against a deriva-tive of the Israeli Heron called HunterII in 2005. The Army plans to acquireabout 10 systems, each with 12 air ve-hicles for a total of about 132 air vehi-cles. In May 2008, the USAF andArmy began planning to adopt a com-mon version of the Predator based onthe Army MQ-1C. However, withUSAF Predator acquisition coming toan end, this may be limited to the last

20 Predators from the FY09 produc-tion batch.

General Atomics and LockheedMartin teamed to offer a derivative ofthe Predator called the Mariner (akaPredator B-ER) as a contender for theUS Navy’s BAMS (Broad Area Mis-sion Surveillance) requirement but itlost to the Global Hawk in April 2008.Italy became the first export customerfor Predator. Britain began steps tolease or borrow Predators for opera-tions in Iraq in early 2004 and in 2006ordered two air vehicles, followed byan order for the RQ-9 Reaper in 2007.The Predator-B version was selectedby NASA’s Earth Science Enterprisefor research applications as the Altairand first flew in June 2003; it is thefirst civil UAV to win an FAA airwor-thiness certificate which facilitates itsuse in national airspace. The Predatoris also used by the Border Patrol withfive in service in 2009. GeneralAtomics has developed a jet-poweredderivative of the Predator, calledAvenger, for the USAF MQ-X NextGeneration UAS program and anavalized version called Sea Avengerfor the US Navy UCLASS require-ment.

Executive

Big Safari Program OfficeAeronautical Systems CenterAir Force Materiel CommandWright Patterson AFB, OH(The Tier 1 element of this program was managed by the Central Intelligence Agency.)

©Teal Group Corporation World Missiles & UAVs Briefing June 2010

Manufacturer

General AtomicsAeronautical Systems Div.PO Box 85608San Diego, CA 92186-9784tel: (619) 455-4649

Variants

RQ-1A Predator—This is the desig-nation for the baseline system, includ-ing the RQ-1K air vehicle. DERFfunding from FY02 is being used toreconfigure all RQ-1A systems into

the MQ-1B configuration.

RQ-1B Predator—This is the Block 1system using the improved RQ-1L airvehicle.

MQ-1B Predator—This is the up-graded RQ-1B system which enablesthe air vehicle to employ the Hellfiremissile.

MQ-1C Warrior Block 0—This is theArmy version of the Predator, intro-duced as a stop gap in 2007 before thebaseline Block 1 was available. It hasmany of the same features as theBlock 1, but uses the USAF/GeneralAtomics GCS rather than the AAIOne System GCS, uses a C-banddata-link instead of the faster high

data rate Tact ical CommonData-Link, lacks the automatic land-ing system and some other features.

MQ-1C Warrior Block 1—This is thebaseline Army version of the Predatorand first flew in December 2007. ThisPredator variant for the Army uses theAAI “One System” as its GCS. Eachsystem includes 12 air vehicles, 5GCS and associated equipment.

RQ-1K Block 5 Predator—This is thebaseline version of the UAV used inthe reconnaissance role.

MQ-1L Predator Block 10— This isthe upgraded version of the RQ-1KBlock 5 modified to carry and launchthe Hellf i re missi le in thehunter-killer role. This was officiallyaccepted for service use in February2005 several years after having actu-ally gone into action. The initial pro-duction standard was called Block 5

which remained in productionthrough 2003 when the FY02 aircraftshifted to Block 10 configuration.The Block 20 configuration intro-duces wingtip extensions for betterhot/high operations.

MQ-9A Reaper Spiral 0—FormerlyPredator-B, this is the enlarged ver-sion of the UAV and the baseline ver-sion of the new type.

MQ-9A Reaper Spiral 1—This is ver-sion integrates the Hellfire missilesystem on the platform.

MQ-9A Reaper Spiral 2—This is theimproved version with higher grossweight, redundant flight avionics,digitally controlled engine, sensorand stores management computer,MIL-STD-1760 data bus and im-proved human-machine interface.

Subsystems

Launch System

LauncherThe Gnat-750 uses conventional

aircraft-style launch and landing.Launch uses a conventional undercar-riage. Up to 1997, the Predator had amean time between crashes of 1,500to 1,700 flight hours.

A study conducted in 1996 by Si-erra Nevada Corp. concluded that the

Predator could be integrated into theUAV Common Automatic RecoverySystem (U-CARS). General Atomiccompleted a three year study of theelectro-magnetic aircraft launch sys-tem (EMALS) for potential use tolaunch the Predator from aircraft car-riers.

The Predator/reaper takes off andlands from a runway like a conven-tional aircraft. A Predator system in-cludes one Ground Control Station(GCS), four air vehicles, a TrojanSprit II communications suite and635 personnel.

Electronics

SensorsThe Tier 1 Gnat-750 is remotely

piloted with several options. TheUAV can be preprogrammed for au-tonomous operations, and can incor-porate a GPS/INS option forimproved accuracy. The datalink for

flight control is a C-band, frequencyselectable system with an optionaldigital video channel. The data linkantenna on the Tier 1 was located in atear-drop-shaped pod over the fuse-lage, developed by a team ofQuestech, General Atomics and

GEC-Marconi on the basis of a $1.4million US Army contract. The Armyas part of the Joint Precision Strikeprogram first successfully tested thissystem during a one-hour demonstra-tion on 2 December 1993. The datawas passed, via a manned relay air-

June 2010 World Missiles & UAVs Briefing ©Teal Group Corporation

RQ-1 Predator/MQ-9 Reaper Page 2

craft, from the El Mirage, CA test siteto the Pentagon. The uplink antenna ishoused in a dorsal pod. This served asthe basis for the system on the Tier 2.During operations over Yugoslavia in1994, the CIA used a RG-8 two-manpowered glider as a data relay stationwhen the UAV was beyond line ofsight. The Predator B uses a C-bandantenna for line-of-sight connectionsto the ground control station and aKu-band satel l i te upl ink forover-the-horizon control, and L-3Communicat ions of RanchoBernardo is the supplier of theRQ-1W PPSL (Predator Primary Sat-ellite Link). EMS Technologiesprovides the Ku-band CDL switchnetwork.

The RQ-1A Predator Tactical En-durance UAV system includes EO IRand GFP-SAR sensor capabilities andUHF and GFP Ku-band satellite com-munications. The Predator employs aLitton inertial navigation/GPS sys-tem for guidance. The Predator has asensor payload of 450 lb. The Skyballelectro-optical payload includes a14TS imaging infrared camera anddaylight camera provided byVersatron/Wescam.

The four of the original MQ-1BPredator hunter-killers were fittedwith the AN/AAS-44 “Kosovo Ball”,an E/O sensor package with integrallaser rangefinder in June 1999. Al-though some consideration was givento fitting the remainder of the RQ-1fleet with this, instead, the plan was touse the Raytheon AN/AAS-52multi-spectral targeting system(MTS-A) on all MQ-1B Predators,and Raytheon has also developed theimproved MTS-B

The initial Westinghouse syntheticaperture radar (SAR) was not fitteduntil 1995; it is nose mounted and isstabilized in two axes. This SAR has a10 to 50 degree field of view in eleva-tion and 150 degrees in azimuth; it hasa 1-foot resolution and covers an8,000-foot swath of terrain from analtitude of 25,000 feet. The US ArmyNight Vision Lab was handling man-agement of the SAR sensor. It was

first deployed during Bosnia opera-tions in March 1996.

Due to data incompatibilities, theSAR data was transmitted through acommercial Unisys Ku-band satellitelink and a Magnavox UHF satellitelink. The new fuselage configurationpermits a 30-inch satellite communi-cations antenna to be fit inside the fu-selage. The data link for the systemhad been sole-sourced to Unisys. Theair vehicle is also fitted with aline-of-sight downlink with a range ofabout 100 miles.

In 2002, the Air Force funded theLittle Weasel ELINT payload for thePredator which consists of a F-16Harm Targeting System (HTS) whichwill link with Rivet Joint aircraft andF-16 Block 50 fighters used in theSEAD role to improve the collectionof data on enemy SAMs.

The RQ-1A system uses aNorthrop/Grumman AN/ZPQ-1TESAR tactical endurance syntheticaperture radar. The TESAR operatesin the Ku-band with a swath width of800m, a resolution of 0.3m, a range of4 to 11 km, and an MTBF of 700hours. A total of 27 ZPQ-1 werefunded in FY98 and 24 in FY99 withall but 6 supplied prior to 1 October2001. In January 2006, it was re-ported that the USAF was removingthe TESAR from the MQ-1L PredatorA UAVs armed with the Hellfire.

The recent systems usedLockheed/Martin wide band satellitelink (originally Loral Communica-tion Systems of Salt Lake City).

To autonomously launch and des-ignate the semi-active laser guidedHellfire missile, the Predator is fittedwith a laser target designator (LTD)manufactured by Raytheon, Ft.Worth, TX. The first four add-on sys-tems were funded out of the FY99budget, and at a later date, the LTDbecame integral with the UAV.

The Predator has been tested witha classified SIGINT package, codenamed Bat Fish. In 2008, the AirForce selected the NorthropGrumman ASIP-1C (Airborne Sig-nals Intelligence Payload) for theMQ-1 Predator which is already in

use on the U-2C aircraft and RQ-4Global hawk UAV.

The MQ-9A Reaper is fitted withthe AN/APY-8 Lynx SAR/GMTI sys-tem. The MQ-1C Sky Warrior wasoriginally planned to be fitted with theLynx II, but in April 2008, the Armydecided to adopt the NorthropGrumman Starlite SAR/GMTI in-stead of the General Atomics Lynx II.

In 1996, the Air Force began ef-forts to develop a hyperspectral imag-ing system for foliage penetration.

Data dissemination for the Preda-tor is handled by the Trojan Spirit IIIdissemination system, with one sys-tem per unit. Boeing supplies the DataExploitation, Mission Planning, andCommunications (DEMPC) worksta-tion. In 2003, Boeing and GeneralAtomics began work on a system tolink the Predator to the E-3 AWACSand AH-64 Apache attack helicopter.General Atomics is also examiningcontrol of the Predator from the P-3Orion.

In early 2009, the USAF an-nounced plans to fit the MQ-9 Reaperwith the Sierra Nevada Gorgon Stare,an electro-optical device which per-mits the air vehicle to observe 12 dif-ferent scenes simultaneously

Flight ControlThe Tier 1 system employs a Gen-

eral Atomics ground control stationmounted in an S280 shelter. The sys-tem employs a C-band tracking an-tenna. In its initial configuration, theGnat-750 depends on a data relay air-craft once the UAV is beyond therange of the ground station.

The baseline system uses aGA-ASI RQ-1P common groundcontrol station manufactured by Gen-eral Atomics, with an intelligenceworkstation (DEMPC) provided byBoeing. To provide non-line of sightcontrol, the first three Predator sys-tems employed the AN/TSQ-190(V)Trojan Spirit II SATCOM link, and inthis configuration were designated asRQ-1U. The upgraded Block 1 sys-tem is the RQ-1Q. The commonground station demonstrated the ca-pability to control two air vehicles si-

Page 3 RQ-1 Predator/MQ-9 Reaper


multaneously during a demonstrationin July 1998. There are two configu-rations of the GCS, deployable andfixed-site. The Trojan Spirit satellitelink was replaced by the L-3 Commu-nications RQ-1W PPSL (PredatorPrimary Satellite Link). The Block 20GCS is designated as MD-1A, whilethe LRCS (Launch and RecoveryControl Station) is the MD-1B. TheMD-1C is the CDCS ContainerizedDual Control System and the MD-1Dis the Multi-Aircraft Control Station.In July 2007, General Atomics dem-onstrated the next-generation Ad-vanced Cockpit GCS withdevelopment to be completed in 2009

In 2008, the Air Force plans to testa prototype optical sense-and-avoidsystem on the Predator with an aim tofield an operational suite by 2009.

The Army’s MQ-1C Predator isdesigned to ne operated with the AAIOne System GCS though the first“Block 0” aircraft use the USAFGCS. The ERMP One System is de-signed with an automatic take-off andlanding feature that was first tested inOctober 2008.

In FY99, the Congress providedsupplemental mod funding to equipfive Predators with the UAV Auto-matic Recovery System (UCARS).

Work has also been undertaken ona Tactical Control System (TCS), asmall forward deployed control sta-tion designed to interface with Preda-tor, Pioneer and other UAVs and toprovide the forward commander withimmediate video output. This systemhas become a bone of contention be-tween the Air Force and the Army, the

Army favoring it, the Air Force op-posing its interference with the GCS.In June 1997, the NSWC awardedBattlespace Inc. a sole-source con-tract for engineering services in sup-port of the TCS. A TCS wassuccessfully tested with the Predatorat San Clemente Island in January1998.

General Atomics has designed avariety of optional GCS configura-tions, including a Portable GroundControl Station (PGCS) and a HighMobility GCS (HMGCS) whichmounts two PGCS in a HMMWVS-788 shelter.

The US Army Warrior uses theAAI “One System” developed for theRQ-7 Shadow tactical UAV.

Propulsion

The Gnat-750 Tier 1 is powered bya 65-hp Rotax 586 piston engine,powering a conventional pusher pro-peller. The constant speed, reversiblepitch, folding propeller is made ofcarbon or Kevlar composites. The120-hp KH800T, a horizontally op-posed, liquid-cooled, four cylinder,four-stroke, turbocharged and af-ter-cooled piston engine is an option,and was the type planned for the Tier2 Predator, however, it was actuallyfitted with a Rotax 912 85-hp engine.Starting in 1998, the air vehicles use a

Rotax 914 105-hp turbocharged en-gine.

General Atomics is also develop-ing another optional powerplant, aheavy fuel engine using diesel tech-nology to enable the engine to burnJP-5 and diesel fuel instead of gaso-line. The engine entered prototypetesting in 1985 with a demonstratedpower of 50 hp. Power increases to 75hp are expected with design matura-tion and normal aspiration, and 150hp is expected to be possible by add-ing a turbocharger. However, in

1997-98, attention shifted to a 3 cylin-der opposed piston 150-hp designbased on a WW2 German Jumodesign.

The MQ-9A Predator B is pow-ered by a Honeywell TPE331-10Tturboprop engine though the PredatorB002 prototype was scheduled todemonstrate a Williams FJ44-2A tur-bofan.

The Army’s Warrior A is poweredby a Thielart multi-fuel Centurion135 hp engine.

Warhead

The MQ-1B can carry up to fourAGM-114 Hellfire missiles. TheMQ-9A Predator B has four weaponsstations, the inner stations capable ofcarrying 500-600lb weapons, and theouter stations having a lesser capac-ity. Preliminary work at the carry andlaunch of BAT (Viper Strike) guidedsubmunitions was conducted in 2002,and other munitions that are expectedto be tested include the JDAMGPS-guided bomb, the SDB bomb,and the LOCAAS PGM. Tests in

2005 included the BLU-108 SensorFuzed Weapon, and the CLAW (cleanlightweight area weapon), a deriva-tive of the BLU-108. Other weaponsthat have been acquired include theRaytheon Griffin and Lockheed Mar-tin Scorpion small guided missiles.

The MQ-1 has also been fittedwith the Stinger air defense missilefor self-defense.

In 2002, the Predator was testedwith the Naval Research LaboratoryFinder, a 57 lb parasite UAV that can

be fitted with various sensors such asa hyper-spectral sensor for atmo-spheric testing that could be used forchemical weapons detection. Preda-tor has also served as the test-bed forthe Raytheon Silent Eyes, a parasiteUAV dropped from the host UAV toconduct reconnaissance missions atlower altitudes when cloud cover ob-scures the target or when more posi-tive target identification is requiredbefore prosecuting an attack.



Specifications

Gnat-750 (Tier 1) RQ-1 Predator MQ-9 Predator B

Length: 16.4 ft (five m) 26.6 ft (8.1 m) 36 ft (10.9m)Wingspan: 35.3 ft (10.7 m) 41.6 ft (12.6 m) 66 ft (20.1m)Empty weight: 441 lb (200 kg) n/a n/aPayload (nose/wing): 132/330 lb (60/150 kg) 500 lb (225 kg)Gross take-off weight: 1140 lb (518 kg) 2,300 lb (1,040kg) 6,400 lb (2,900 kg)Max. level speed: 140 knots (255 km/h) 140 knots (255 km/h) 210 knots (380 km/h)Endurance: 48 hours 40 hours 24 hoursMax. altitude: 25,000 ft (7,600 m) 25,000 ft (7,600 m) 45,000 ft (13,700 m)Max. radius: 1,740 mi (2,800 km) 500 mi + (800 km +)

Contract Briefs

The following is a listing of con-tract announcements made by thePentagon involving the award of, or

modification to, unclassified primecontracts with a base value of $5 mil-

lion or more since the beginning ofFY00 (10/1/99).

Date Contract Number Agency Obligation Details

BAE Systems, Advanced Information Technologies

6/28/2005 F33615-02-C-1149 AFRL $3,258,025 Increment as part of a $5,425,036 CPFF contract to provide amulti-sensor, multi-look exploitation system designed to providepersistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance for thePredator UAV.

Battlespace Flight Services

3/7/2007 FA4890-07-C-0006 ACC $11,501,250 FFP and CPAF contract for organizational maintenance supportfor the Predator MQ-1 aircraft and related systems at Creech AFBand deployed sites worldwide.

General Atomics, Aeronautical Systems - Aircraft Systems Group

12/16/1999 F33657-99-C-3045 ASC $49,353,203 Modification to a FPIF contract to provide for 12 Predator un-manned aerial reconnaissance vehicles, six ice protection kits,ground control equipment, and associated spares.

6/30/2000 F33657-00-C-4010 ASC $5,337,583 CPFF contract to provide for contractor logistics support from Julythrough September 2000 for the Predator unmanned aerial recon-naissance vehicles.

2/22/2001 F33657-00-C-4010 ASC $6,107,916 Modification to a CPAF contract to provide for contractor logisticssupport from March through June 2001 for the Predator un-manned aerial reconnaissance vehicles.

3/20/2001 F33657-00-C-4040 ASC $19,837,034 Increment as part of a $30,100,096 FFP contract for seven Preda-tor unmanned aerial reconnaissance vehicles.

6/27/2001 F33657-00-C-4010 ASC $2,250,769 Increment as part of a $16,016,421 modification to a CPFF con-tract to provide for 12 Predator unmanned aerial reconnaissancevehicles.

9/6/2001 F33657-98-G-3110 ASC $11,178,404 CPFF contract to provide for retrofit of five ground control stationssupporting the Predator unmanned aerial reconnaissance vehi-cle.

12/28/2001 F33657-01-C-5063 ASC $8,151,708 CPFF contract for contractor logistics support from Jan. 1, 2002,through March 30, 2002, for the Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehi-cle System.

12/4/2002 F33657-00-C-4040 ASC $21,614,280 Increment as part of a $28,819,040 FFP contract to provide 12MQ-1 Block 10 Predator Aircraft.

7/22/2003 F33657-03-C-3003 ASC $5,113,819 Modification contract to provide CONUS field support, depot sup-ply support, program management, configuration management,Nellis Flight Operations support, and reach back support.

8/20/2003 F33657-03-C-3018 ASC $41,345,710 FFP contract to provide for 19 MQ-1L Predator unmanned aerialvehicles.



3/29/2004 F33657-02-G-4035 ASC $5,555,125 Increment as part of a $17,011,750 CPFF contract to provide forthe development of specifications to produce and weaponize theMQ-9A Predator unmanned air vehicle.

4/9/2004 F33657-03-C-3018 ASC $9,124,893 FFP contract for readiness spares, consisting of consumables,support equipment, and line replaceable units, in support of theMQ-1L Predator unmanned aerial vehicle.

7/1/2004 FA8620-04-C-4005 ASC $26,427,245 FFP contract to provide for seven each MQ-IL Predator Un-manned Air Vehicles, six Ground Data Terminals, and twelveRuggedized Air Maintenance Test Stations.

7/6/2004 F33657-02-G-4035 ASC $27,705,374 Increment as part of a $36,940,499 FPIF contract to provide forfour MQ-9A Air Vehicles.

10/1/2004 FA8620-04-C-4005 ASC $5,558,748 FFP contract to provide for three MQ-9A Air Vehicles.

11/15/2004 FA8620-04-C-4005 ASC $22,001,140 FFP contract to provide for 7 each MQ-1L Predator Remotely Pi-loted Aircraft and 14 each Ruggedized Aircraft Maintenance TestStations.

11/19/2004 F33657-02-G-4035 ASC $7,206,740 Increment as part of a $14,413,480 CPFF contract to providePredator MQ-IL Block 10+ Retrofit Phase 1-Non-recurring engi-neering to define all necessary kit hardware.

2/10/2005 FA4890-05-C-0001 ACC $8,285,431 CPFF contract to provide services necessary to perform PredatorOrganizational Maintenance for aircraft, Ground Control Stations,and Predator Primary Satellite Links.

3/30/2005 F33657-02-G-4035 ASC $15,610,000 Increment as part of a $68,205,573 CPIF contract provide for theSystem Development and Demonstration (SDD) of the MQ-9Hunter-Killer Aircraft.

3/31/2005 FA8620-04-C-4005 ASC $20,082,837 FFP contract to provide for additional Readiness Spares PackageKits for the Predator Program.

3/31/2005 FA8620-05-C-3000 ASC $9,992,967 CPFF contract to provide for Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)Predator Spares and Quick Reaction Repair and Return Supportfor Two Additional OEF Predator Orbits.

6/1/2005 FA8620-04-C-4005 ASC $5,322,582 Increment as part of a $7,096,776 modification contract to providefor Predator Initial Spares for seven MQ-1 Aircraft.

6/3/2005 F33657-02-G-4035 ASC $14,636,236 Increment as part of a $19,514,981 modification contract to pro-vide for the Development and Production efforts for the Predatordual control mobile ground control station and enhancement modkits.

6/21/2005 FA8620-04-C-4005 ASC $54,551,742 Increment as part of a $72,735,659 FFP contract to exercise anoption of Predator requirements including acceleration of the de-livery of 17 aircraft, produce 15 MQ-1L Block 10 aircraft, and Sup-port Equipment.

6/22/2005 F33657-02-G-4035 ASC $23,121,898 Increment as part of a $30,829,202 CPFF contract to providePredator Ground Control Stations including two fixed facilityGCSs; one Dual Control; 19 Enhancement Mod Kits; and twoMulti-Aircraft Controls.

7/15/2005 FA8620-05-C-3000 ASC $20,769,160 CPFF contract to exercise an option of Contractor Logistics Sup-port for the Predator System for five months.

8/8/2005 W58RGZ-05-C-0069 AMCOM $214,409,789 CPIF contract for research, development, test and evaluation ofthe Extended Range Multi-Purpose Unmanned Aerial Vehicle sys-tem.

1/25/2006 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $41,403,571 FPIF contract for the manufacture, test, and delivery of five Preda-tor B MQ-9 UAVs and associated equipment to include InitialSpares, and Ground Support Equipment.

3/3/2006 W58RGZ-05-C-0069 AMCOM $67,000,000 Increment as part of a $214,321,143 CPIF contract for System De-velopment and Demonstration for the Extended Range/ Multi-Pur-pose Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.

3/13/2006 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $27,127,089 CPFF contract for periodic depot maintenance for the PredatorMQ-1 and MQ-9 unmanned aircraft system program.



3/15/2006 FA4890-05-C-0001 ACC $30,136,635 CPFF contract to provide services necessary to perform Predatororganizational maintenance of aircraft, Ground Control Stations,and Predator Primary Satellite Links.

6/15/2006 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $25,151,451 CPFF term contract to support the Predator MQ-1 and MQ-9 un-manned aircraft system program.

6/21/2006 DAAH01-03-C-0124 AMCOM $21,094,500 Modification to a CPFF contract for the improved unmanned aerialvehicles and associated support equipment and initial spares.

6/29/2006 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $14,881,292 CPFF contract to exercise an option which includes the PredatorMQ-1 Unmanned Aircraft System Outside Continental UnitedStates program.

6/30/2006 F33657-02-G-4035 ASC $5,210,170 CPFF contract for the retrofit of five MQ-9 Predator aircraft, withupgraded landing gear for increased landing capacity, and Hell-fire/EGBU-12/Special Project A Payloads.

8/4/2006 N00421-06-C-0024 NAWC $8,294,000 CPFF contract for the procurement of one Predator B aircraft foruse in demonstration and operations, including ground supportequipment, spares kit and system integration.

8/22/2006 W58RGZ-06-C-0208 AMCOM $11,466,000 As part of an estimated $23,400,000 CPFF contract to acquire fourextended range multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicles, the as-sociated support equipment and initial spare parts.

9/22/2006 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $20,673,841 Increment as part of a $27,565,122 CPFF contract for 5 MD-1Bdual control mobile ground control stations, and non-recurring en-gineering per FY 06 Predator MQ-1 and Reaper MQ-9 require-ments.

9/22/2006 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $38,363,450 Increment as part of a $49,587,121 FFP contract for 7 MQ-1 Block15 aircraft and the necessary non-recurring engineering toproductionize the block 15 configuration.

9/22/2006 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $11,846,649 Increment as part of a $15,795,532 FFP contract for 1 ground sup-port equipment, 1 initial spares package and 2 primary predatorsitcom link modem assembly per FY06 Predator MQ-1 andReaper MQ-9 requirements.

11/7/2006 W58RGZ-05-C-0069 AMCOM $20,000,000 Increment as part of a $215,373,106 CPIF contract for system de-velopment and demonstration for the extended range / multi-pur-pose unmanned aerial vehicle.

12/18/2006 W58RGZ-05-C-0069 AMCOM $63,168,556 Increment as part of a $215,373,106 CPIF contract for system de-velopment and demonstration for the Extended Range / Multi-Pur-pose Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.

12/18/2006 DAAH01-03-C-0124 AMCOM $13,807,439 Modification to a CPFF contract for contractor logistics support insupport of IGNAT Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operations.

12/29/2006 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $38,099,885 Increment as part of a $42,666,206 CPFF term contract forCAMS/REMIS/CEMS data collection/entry and numbered Peri-odic Depot Maintenance (PDM) for the Predator MQ-1 and MQ-9Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) program.

1/30/2007 DAAH01-03-C-0124 AMCOM $20,748,347 Modification to a CPFF contract for contractor logistics support forIGNAT Unmanned Aerial Vehicle operations.

2/9/2007 W58RGZ-06-C-0208 AMCOM $11,679,000 Modification to a CPFF contract for acquisition of four ExtendedRange Multi-Purpose Block 0, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, associ-ated support equipment, and initial spares.

3/13/2007 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $32,747,250 Increment as part of a $43,663,000 FFP contract for the manufac-ture, test and delivery of two Predator B MQ-9 unmanned aerialvehicles, two mobile ground control stations, and associatedequipment.

4/5/2007 W58RGZ-06-C-0208 AMCOM $5,264,342 Modification to a CPFF contract for Extended Range Multi-Pur-pose Block 0, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.

5/7/2007 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $10,135,251 CPFF contract to provide a series of required tasks to design, fab-ricate, integrate, and test the Predator MQ-1B Block X aircraftwhich will utilize a Heavy Full Engine (HFE).



5/7/2007 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $58,976,370 FFP contract for the manufacture, test and delivery of four Preda-tor B Reaper MQ-9 UAVs and associated equipment to include ini-tial spares and ground support equipment.

6/22/2007 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $69,407,519 CPFF contract for Predator/Reaper contractor logistics support toinclude all program management, urgent repairs and services, lo-gistics support and configuration management.

6/22/2007 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $43,983,622 FFP contract for the manufacture, test and delivery of four Preda-tor B Reaper MQ-9 UAVs and associated equipment to include Ini-tial Spares and Ground Support Equipment.

6/28/2007 W58RGZ-05-C-0069 AMCOM $14,665,000 Increment as part of a $215,373,106 CPIF contract for system de-velopment and demonstration for the Extended Range / Multi-Pur-pose Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.

8/6/2007 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $7,307,964 CPFF contract to provide two Pre-Production YMQ-1C Block X air-craft.

8/14/2007 W58RGZ-05-C-0069 AMCOM $5,149,479 Increment as part of a $215,373,106 CPIF contract for system de-velopment and demonstration for the Extended Range/Multi-Pur-pose Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.

8/31/2007 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $40,592,440 Increment as part of a $54,123,254 FFP contract for the manufac-ture, test, and delivery of six (6) Predator B MQ-9 Reaper Un-manned Aerial Vehicles (UAV).

8/31/2007 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $64,955,733 FFP contract for various MQ-9 Reaper equipment and items in-cluding Aircraft Initial Spares, 30 Day Pack-up Kits, and GroundSupport Equipment.

9/7/2007 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $94,341,404 FFP contract for 36 Predator MQ-1B Aircraft, Aircraft Spares, RSPkits, Hellfire Missile Kit Installation, IM’s and core tasks.

9/14/2007 DAAH01-03-C-0124 AMCOM $11,306,274 Modification to a CPIF contract for contractor logistics support forthe IGNAT Warrior Alpha unmanned aerial system.

9/19/2007 W58RGZ-07-C-0107 AMCOM $5,181,995 CPIF contract for low rate initial production effort for the extendedrange/multi-purpose unmanned aerial system.

9/19/2007 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $6,089,382 CPFF contract for Target Location Accuracy (TLA) Phase I, MQ-1Predator Predator/MQ-9.

9/25/2007 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $33,672,337 Increment as part of a $45,503,158 modification contract for 10Predator MQ-1B Aircraft, Aircraft Spares, RSP kits, Hellfire MissileKit Installation, IMA’s and core tasks.

10/1/2007 FA4890-07-C-0009 ACC $21,914,173 Modification contract for organizational maintenance support forthe Predator MQ-9 remotely piloted aircraft systems at CreechAFB, NV, and deployed sites worldwide.

10/1/2007 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $15,180,780 contract for retrofit 20 Predator block 5 to block 15; retrofit 1 block10 to 15.

10/18/2007 W58RGZ-05-C-0069 AMCOM $20,828,590 Increment as part of a $231,154,861 CPIF contract for system de-velopment and demonstration for the Extended Range / Multi-Pur-pose Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Including Integration of the HellfireMissile.

12/21/2007 FA8620-05-G-3028 AFMC $50,281,284 Increment as part of a $67,041,712 contract for Periodic DepotMaintenance for the Predator/Reaper MQ-1 and MQ-9 UnmannedAircraft Systems program.

12/21/2007 F8620-05-G-3028 AFMC $15,901,687 Modification contract for advanced cockpit one production effortincludes production and integration of Linux hardware for Preda-tor/Reaper ground control stations.

1/16/2008 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $12,142,832 Increment as part of a $16,190,443 FFP contract for manufacture,test, and delivery of one MQ-9 Reaper Weaponized Aircraft, alongwith containers, a 30-day pack-up kit and initial spares.

2/20/2008 F33657-02-G-4035 AESS $0 Increment as part of a $6,094,533 CPIF contract to enhance theMaintenance Level Technical Orders, which are a part of the sys-tem development and demonstration of the MQ-9 Reaper.



2/28/2008 W58RGZ-05-C-0069 AMCOM $18,666,000 CPIF contract for incremental funding for system developmentand demonstration for the extended range/multi-purpose un-manned aerial vehicle.

2/28/2008 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $7,804,672 Increment as part of a $17,202,335 contract for non-recurring en-gineering development for the Advanced Cockpit Increment Twofor Predator/Reaper Ground Control Station.

3/31/2008 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $49,870,416 FFP contract for 24 Predator MQ-1B Aircraft, Hellfire missile kit in-stallation, IMAs, and core tasks.

3/31/2008 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $28,947,434 FFP contract for the manufacture, test, and delivery of four Preda-tor B Reaper MQ-9 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.

4/30/2008 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $163,082,588 Increment as part of a $177,082,588 CPFT contract for support ofthe Predator/Reaper MQ-1 and MQ-9 unmanned aircraft system(UAS) programs.

5/19/2008 W58RGZ-05-C-0069 AMCOM $5,000,000 CPIF contract for development and demonstration for the ex-tended range/multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicle.

6/27/2008 W58RGZ-08-C-0082 AMCOM $33,619,359 CPFF contract for logistics support for I-GNAT, Warrior Alpha andSky Warrior Unmanned Aircraft systems at multiple locations.

8/15/2008 W58RGZ-06-C-0208 AMCOM $7,896,513 CPFF contract to acquire three extended-range multi-purposeBlock 0 Unmanned Aircraft in support of Operation Iraqi Freedomand Operation Enduring Freedom.

9/17/2008 W58RGZ-05-C-0069 AMCOM $37,158,705 CPIF contract for systems development and demonstration (in-cluding integration of the Hellfire Missile) for the extended rangemulti-purpose unmanned aerial vehicle.

9/25/2008 W58RGZ-08C-0082 AMCOM $40,000,000 CPFF contract for Rehabilitation, reconstitution, and repair work insupport of contractor logistics support for I-GNAT, Warrior Alpha,and Sky Warrior UAVs.

9/30/2008 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $55,627,763 FFP contract procure six Dual Control Mobile Ground Control Sta-tions, five Converted Mobile Ground Stations and three PredatorGround Data Terminals.

9/30/2008 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $24,500,000 CPFF contract for data collection/entry and numbered PeriodicDepot Maintenance (PDM) for the Predator/Reaper MQ-1 andMQ-9 Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) programs.

10/30/2008 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $163,082,588 Increment as part of a $177,082,588 CPFT contract for services,logistics support, and spares management in support of the Pred-ator/Reaper MQ-1 and MQ-9 Unmanned Aircraft System pro-grams.

11/26/2008 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $52,927,284 Increment as part of a NTE $115,158,656 FFP contract for 16Global War on Terror, MQ-9 Reaper, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.

12/30/2008 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $42,638,374 contract For management, urgent repairs and services, and logis-tics support for the Predator/Reaper MQ-1 and MQ-9 UnmannedAircraft System program.

1/29/2009 W58RGZ-08-C-0082 ACC $21,710,228 CPFF four month extension to current contractor logistics supportcontract for logistics support for I-GNAT Warrior Alpha, and SkyWarrior Block O Unmanned Aircraft Systems at multiple OCONUSlocations.

2/5/2009 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $40,049,760 Increment as part of a NTE $81,273,117 FFP contract for twoMQ-9 Reaper Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and two Mobile GroundControl Stations for the Italy Foreign Military Sales customer.

2/26/2009 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $168,372,886 FFP contract for flight operations support, data collection/entryand numbered periodic depot maintenance for the Preda-tor/Reaper Unmanned Aircraft System program.

3/12/2009 W58RGZ-05-C-0069 AMCOM $33,000,000 CPIF contract for incremental funding in support of the extendedrange multi-purpose unmanned aircraft systems system develop-ment and demonstration contract.

5/1/2009 W58RGZ-09-C-0151 AMCOM $23,520,000 CPIF contract for the acquisition of Production Ready Test Assets(PRTA) Extended Range Multi-Purpose (ERMP) Unmanned Air-craft Systems (UAS).



5/18/2009 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $9,828,520 FFP contract for the Predator receiver terminals, installation andsoftware updates.

5/20/2009 W58RGZ-09-C-0153 AMCOM $10,614,469 CPFF contract for contractor logistics support for the ER multi-pur-pose quick reaction capability UAS in support of Operation IraqiFreedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

6/12/2009 W58RGZ-09-C-0152 AMCOM $53,969,958 CPFF contract for contractor logistics support for the IGNAT/War-rior Alpha/Block 0 unmanned aircraft systems at multipleOCONUS locations.

6/30/2009 W58RGZ-05-C-0069 AMCOM $24,405,260 CPIF contract for the acquisition of additional extended rangemulti-purpose unmanned aircraft systems hardware to supportArmy system integration laboratory and training.

8/26/2009 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $5,022,500 Increment as part of a $10,250,000 modified contract for one-yearof Contractor Logistics Support for the Italian purchase of MQ-9Reaper aircraft under the Foreign Military Sales program.

9/30/2009 W58RGZ-09-C-0136 AMCOM $16,808,435 CPFF contract for the extended-range/multi-purpose unmannedaerial system, to support product improvements and technologyinsertions into the current ER/MP UAS in Poway, CA.

9/30/2009 W58RGZ-05-C-0069 AMCOM $17,976,522 CPIF contract for five one systems ground controls stations in sup-port of the extended range/multi-purpose systems developmentand design contract in Poway, CA.

9/30/2009 FA8620-05-D-3028 ASC $46,040,935 contract for Linux operating systems, technical orders, improveddisplay, and spares for the Predator/Reaper.

9/30/2009 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $19,500,000 contract to provide various MQ-9 Reaper equipment and items in-cluding aircraft supplemental spares, 30 day pack-up kits, andground support equipment.

12/31/2009 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $53,211,124 Increment as part of a $266,055,622 contract for reliability/mainte-nance enhancements; and CAMS/REMIS/CEMS data collectionentry for the Predator/Reaper MQ-1 and MQ-9 unmanned aircraftsystem program.

2/1/2010 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $12,804,804 CPFF term contract to provide two MQ-9 Reaper test aircraft tosupport immediate and future development tests needs on theReaper Increment I program.

4/20/2010 W58RGZ-09-C-0151 AMCOM $17,046,878 CPIF contract for support of the extended range/multi-purposesystem production readiness test asset contract.

4/30/2010 W58RGZ-09-C-0151 AMCOM $15,215,147 CPIF contract for the exerc ise opt ion for contractW58RGZ-09-C-0151 in support of the extended range/multi-pur-pose system production readiness test asset.

5/3/2010 W58RGZ-05-C-0069 AMCOM $5,800,000 CPIF contract for continued performance of the system develop-ment demonstration in support of the extended range/multi-pur-pose unmanned aircraft system.

5/5/2010 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $7,070,000 contract for a revision to the ground control station modernizationprogram to improve pilots/sensor operator ergonomics through acockpit hardware architecture.

5/14/2010 W58RGZ-10-C-0068 AMCOM $195,510,000 FPIF contract for the procurement of supplemental hardware,low-rate initial production in support of the ER/MP UAS and hard-ware.

5/19/2010 W58RGZ-09-C-0153 AMCOM $38,465,000 CPIF, CPFF contract for logistics support, performance-based lo-gistics transition for the extended range multi-purpose unmannedaircraft system Quick Reaction Capability 1.

6/3/2010 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $1,000,000 Increment as part of an $8,982,515 contract to provide for MQ-9auto take-off and landing capability modification to the system de-velopment and demonstration bridge effort.

6/15/2010 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $24,044,533 contract for a quantity of four MQ-9 Reaper aircraft (two productionaircraft and two ground maintenance trainers).

6/22/2010 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $94,285,469 Modification contract for the MQ-1 Predator aircraft and MD-1ground control station retrofit kits.



General Atomics, Aeronautical Systems - Reconnaissance Systems Group

7/29/2005 FA8620-05-C-3013 ASC $10,467 Increment as part of a $13,867,301 FFP/CPFF contract to providefor 9 Lynx Synthetic Aperture Radars for the Predator, GroundSupport Equipment and Spares, and a option for training manuals.

9/29/2006 W15P7T-06-C-P255 CECOM $8,550,308 FFP, CPFF and T&M contract for Lynx I Systems.

3/26/2007 FA8611-05-G-3028 ASC $9,388,153 FFP contract for five (5) Lynx AN/APY-8 Radars and associatedspares.

5/7/2008 FA8620-05-G-3028 ASC $2,619,712 Increment as part of a $5,948,515 CPFF contract to provide sup-port for the Lynx Continuous Look Attack Management PredatorReaper MQ-9.

L-3 Communications, Communications Systems-West

12/20/2005 FA8650-06-C-5504 AFRL $1,750,000 Increment as part of a $7,101,036 CPFF, completion type contractto increase the production throughput of datalink systems support-ing Predator, Global Hawk, MP-CDL, and TARS platforms by re-ducing testing bottlenecks.

9/13/2007 FA8620-05-G-3027 ASC $8,737,924 FFP contract for the build, installation, and test of fixed SATCOMterminals for the Predator/Reaper Program.

3/5/2008 FA8620-08-G-3027 ASC $18,680,753 Increment as part of a $39,022,718 FFP contract for the conver-sion of the Predator Primary Satellite Link and fixed SATCOM sta-tion upgrades.

12/16/2008 $8,949,174 FFP contract to build Predator Primary Data Link Test Stands.

Lockheed Martin, Missiles and Fire Control

12/23/2002 M67854-03-C-1084 MCSC $30,925,000 FPI, firm target contract for initial low rate production of 400 ShortRange Anti-Tank Weapon (SRAW) Systems (also known as Pred-ator).

5/24/2006 F33615-01-C-1419 AFRL $555,954 Increment as part of a $7,842633 CPFF contract for the PredatorImaging Laser Radar program.

Northrop Grumman, Aerospace Systems

10/9/2009 FA8620-08-C-3004 ASC $7,601,503 Increment as part of a $9,632,882 contract for the performance ofthe system preliminary design for a scaled communications intelli-gence Airborne signals intelligence payload system for the MQ-9.

Northrop Grumman, Mission Systems, Electromagnetic Systems Laboratory

7/10/2009 FA8620-08-C-3004 ASC $69,851,657 Increment as part of a $71,147,842 CPIF contract to provide MQ-1UAS communication intelligence airborne signals intelligencepayload -1 C scaled sensors for the Predator UAS.

Okland Construction

12/22/2006 W912PL-07-C-0007 COE $40,269,000 FFP contract for the Predator Beddown.

Raytheon, Space & Airborne Systems

4/5/2002 N00164-00-G-0007 NAVSEA $13,528,334 Undefinitized FFP modification under basic ordering agreementcontract to provide 13 Multi-spectral Targeting Systems (MTS)and a Forward Looking InfraRed (FLIR) Laser Detecting-Rang-ing-Tracking set.

4/5/2002 N00164-00-G-0007 NAVSEA $13,528,334 Undefinitized FFP modification under basic ordering agreementcontract to provide 13 Multi-spectral Targeting Systems (MTS)and a Forward Looking InfraRed (FLIR) Laser Detecting-Rang-ing-Tracking set.

4/23/2002 N00164-00-G-0007 NAVSEA $7,000,000 CPFF undefinitized job order under basic ordering agreementcontract for engineering efforts to modify the configuration base-line of the Multi-spectral Targeting System (MTS).

8/6/2003 N00164-00-G-0007 48 $69,999,995 FFP job order under previously awarded basic ordering agree-ment contract for multi-spectral targeting systems, including 52turret units and 40 electronics units in support of the USAF’s Pred-ator Program and the USN’s SH-60.



4/16/2004 N00164-00-G-0007 NSWC $17,375,000 FFP job order under previously awarded basic ordering agree-ment contract for eight Multi-spectral Targeting System (MTS) “B”infrared systems for the Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(UAV).

7/1/2004 N00164-00-G-0007 NSWC $26,552,810 FFP purchase order under previously awarded Basic OrderingAgreement contract for Multi-spectral Targeting Systems (MTS),including 17 turret units and associated line items supporting thePredator and Navy H-60 programs.

9/1/2004 N00164-00-G-0007 NSWC $11,692,127 CPFF task order under previously awarded basic ordering agree-ment contract for Multi-spectral Targeting Systems (MTS) “B” pro-duction in support of the Predator “B” program.

1/3/2005 N00164-00-G-0007 NSWC $22,756,226 FFP order under Basic Ordering Agreement contract forMulti-spectral Targeting Systems (MTS) “B” configuration includ-ing 11 turret units and associated line items in support of the Pred-ator program.

1/26/2005 N00164-00-G-0007 NSWC $12,670,563 FFP task order under previously awarded Basic Ordering Agree-ment contract for Multi-spectral Targeting System “A” configura-tion, which includes seven Turret Units and associated line itemsin support of the Predator UAV program.

3/30/2005 N00164-00-G-0007 NSWC $25,942,745 FFP modification under previously awarded Basic OrderingAgreement contract for Multi-spectral Targeting Systems (MTS)“A” configuration, including 22 Turret Units and associated lineitems in support of the Predator UAV program.

9/8/2005 N00164-00-G-0007 NSWC $31,402,406 FFP task order under previously awarded basic ordering agree-ment contract for Multi-Spectral Targeting System “A” configura-tion, including 51 turret units and associated line items in supportof Predator UAV and MH-60 helicopter.

9/26/2006 N00164-06-G-8555 NSWC $27,100,290 FFP order under previously awarded Basic Ordering Agreementcontract for Multi-spectral Targeting System configuration, includ-ing 27 Turret Units and associated line items In support of thePredator UAV program.

12/29/2006 FA8620-06-G-4041 ASC $8,651,775 Increment as part of an $11,535,700 CPFF contract for ContractorLogistics Support for the Predator A and B Multi-spectral Target-ing Systems including program management, repairs and ser-vices.

2/22/2007 FA8620-06-G-4041 ASC $8,651,775 Increment as part of a $70,400,000 FFP contract for production of60 Multi-spectral Targeting Systems-As (MTS-As) for MQ-1 Pred-ator and 5 Multi-spectral Targeting Systems-Bs (MTS-Bs) forMQ-9 Reaper.

12/31/2007 FA8620-06-G-3041 ASC $5,434,825 Increment as part of a $9,058,041modification contract for con-tractor logistics support for the Predator A and B multi-spectral tar-geting systems.

5/23/2008 N00164-06-G-8555 NSWC $29,703,440 Modification to a previously awarded contract for Multi-spectralTargeting Systems (MTS) to be utilized on Navy MH-60 aircraft.

9/15/2008 FA8620-06-G-4041 ASC $8,748,119 Increment as part of a $52,013,000 FFP contract to provide 4multi-spectral targeting systems and associated shop replaceableunit spares and containers to support the Predator/Reaper pro-gram.

11/14/2008 FA8620-06-G-4041 ASC $1,315,084 Increment as part of an $8,068,000 FFP contract to provide 4Multi-Spectral Targeting Systems Model B (MTS-B), whole sparesand containers to support GWOT requirements for the Preda-tor/Reaper Program.

5/29/2009 FA8620-06-G-4041 ASC $14,094,649 Increment as part of an $87,327,441 FFP contract to provided 35Multi-Spectral Targeting Systems Model A, 25 PreproductionUnits and associated replaceable unit spares.

6/10/2009 FA8620-06-G-4041 ASC $14,094,649 Increment as part of an $87,327,441 FFP contract to provide 35multi-spectral targeting systems Model A, 25 multi-spectral target-ing systems, 25 multi-spectral targeting systems -B pre-produc-tion units.



6/26/2009 FA8620-06-G-4041 ASC $14,094,651 Increment as part of an $87,327,441 FFP contract for 35Multi-Spectral Targeting Systems Model A, 25 MTS-B Pre-Pro-duction Units including one retrofit gyro and one retrofit imager.

12/31/2009 FA8620-06-G-4041 ASC $12,565,938 Increment as part of a $38,078,612 contract for CY10 contractorlogistics support of the multi-spectral targeting system for theMQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft sys-tems.

Rockwell Collins, Government Systems

3/24/2008 N00019-05-C-0050 NAVAIR $6,355,030 Modification to a previously awarded FFP contract for the FY08production of 137 RT-1556B AN/ARC-210 Receiver-TransmitterRadios and 81 C-11898A Radio Control Sets for USAF UAV Pred-ator aircraft.

Spectrum Comm

1/4/2008 FA8528-08-D-0001 WRALC $8,000,000 Increment as part of a $74,500,000 ID/IQ contract for advisory andassistance services to support the 560th Aircraft SustainmentGroup.

Stewart-Matl

7/27/2007 W912L1-07-C-5010 NGB $5,740,000 FFP contract for construction of a Predator Operations Complex.

Unmanned Systems

6/30/2010 FA8620-10-C-3016 ASC $3,808,502 Increment as part of a $7,613,065 contract to provide pilot andsensor operator services for acceptance and flight test of the Pred-ator/Reaper program.

Funding History

RDT&E ($ Millions) FY02** FY03 FY04 FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11*

PE0205219F Reaper DevelopmentReaper — — — — — — 63.8 57.2 93.1 125.4

PE0305219F Predator DevelopmentPredator — — 40.1 82.1 54.1 77.9 37.6 38.6 35.1 28.9

PE0304260F Airborne SIGINTMQ-9 SIGINT — — — — — 2.4 13.5 22.7 58.0 29.7

PE0305204A Tactical UAVPayload Dev. — — — — — 17.2 40.2 22.2 39.4 40.2TSP Dev. — — — — — 11.7 — — 21.5 5.3

PE0305219A Tactical UAVMQ-1 — — — — 92.2 123.7 103.4 61.7 73.2 123.1

Procurement ($ Millions) FY02** FY03 FY04 FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11*

US Air Force Procurement 3010FPredator 203.3 139.1 202.0 320.6 253.5 676.1 299.2 223.6 — —(quantity) (22) (25) (15) (27) (24) (48) (24) (18) — —Reaper — — — — — 58.5 374.5 444.4 487.7 863.6(quantity) — — — — (2) (12) (20) (24) (24) (36)Predator mods 14.8 10.1 13.7 36.5 29.9 57.4 52.4 199.3 188.9 208.2Reaper mods — — — — — — 16.9 82.4 108.9 224.3

US Army Procurement: BA1 Aircraft ProcurementMQ-1 — — — — 42.5 38.6 122.7 209.9 420. 506.3(quantity) — — — — — — (12) (12) (24) (26)

*Request

**In FY02, the Predator program received an additional $167.6 million from the Defense Emergency Relief Fund

(DERF) which was used to equip the Predator with a Multi-Spectral Laser Designator/Sensor and Hellfire launch capa-

bility as well as purchase an additional 4 RQ-1A and 3 MQ-9A air vehicles. The FY02 Supplemental added 9 MQ-1B

and 1 MQ-9; the FY02 Plus-Up added 4 MQ-1B, for a grand total of 8 in the basic appropriation and 21 in the various

add-ons. However, it would appear the actual number funded was lower with a total of 102 air vehicles funded in

FY97-03.



Costs

The Tier 1 was funded by the Cen-tral Intelligence Agency under a se-cret budget item. The CIA’s Tier 1UAVs reportedly cost $800,000 forthe Gnat 750 and $1.2 million for theground station. Program funding forthe DoD participation in UAV-E wasreported to total $97 million, with $5million allotted to the Tier 1 phase.

The program reverted back toDoD funding under PE# 0305141Dwhen it reached Tier 2; reportedly$600 million was allotted for the pro-gram in FY95-99 budget plan ($42million in FY95 and $15 million inFY96). In 1994, the UAV program of-fice estimated the cost of the Tier 2Predator system as being $3 millionper air vehicle, $1.2 million perground station and $2 million per Tro-jan Spirit II command and controlsystem (earlier reports pegged the

UAV cost at $4.2 million per air vehi-cle). The initial program plans were toacquire 10 air vehicles and 3 groundstations; the subsequent plans were toacquire 47 air vehicles, 11 ground sta-tions and 9 Trojan Spirit dissemina-tion systems. Estimated costs of the44-air vehicle purchase includingRDT&E totaled $367 million. How-ever, the subsequent objective wasstated to be for 66 Predator, 17 groundstat ions and 16 Trojan Spir i tdissemination systems.

As of mid-1997, the stated objec-tive was for 13 systems and 80 air ve-hicles, including the three air vehicleslost during testing and initial opera-tions. The cost for this procurementpackage was $209.9 million inRDT&E and $368.8 million for a totalof $578.7 million with other RDT&Ecosts likely.

As of mid-1997, the stated objec-tive was for 13 systems and 80 air ve-hicles that included the three airvehicles lost during testing and initialoperations. The cost for this procure-ment package was $209.9 million inRDT&E and $368.8 million for a totalof $578.7 million. US Air Force AirCombat Command estimated a re-quirement for $320 million in person-nel and O&M expenses for the UAVunits in FY98-03.

In recent years, the Air Force hasdescribed the program as “continu-ing”, meaning that no specific objec-tive has been set for the total numberof systems or air vehicles. In the FY11budget submission, the Air Forcelisted the objective for the MQ-9 as341 aircraft at a cost of $7,286.8 mil-lion.

Procurement unit costs (then-year $) from P-1 documents:

FY99: $7,632,800 (RQ-1)FY02: $2,909,000 (MQ-1B) $11,367,000 (MQ-9)FY03: $3,727,000 (MQ-1B) $8,667,000 (MQ-9)FY04: $4,459,000 (MQ-1B) $11,302,000 (MQ-9)FY05: $4,924,000 (MQ-1B) $12,440,000 (MQ-9)FY06: $3,664,000 (MQ-1B) $14,095,000 (MQ-9)FY07: $4,263,000 (MQ-1B) $13,400,000 (MQ-9)FY08: $5,561,000 (MQ-1B) $12,499,000 (MQ-9)FY09: $3,810,000 (MQ-1B) $8,510,000 (MQ-9)FY10: n/a $10,401,000 (MQ-9)FY11: n/a $11,390,000 (MQ-9)

Program Overview

History

UAV Joint Program Office Es-tablished

Following cancellation of the trou-bled Army MQM-105 Aquila RPVprogram, Congress finally lost pa-tience with the ineffective manner inwhich the armed services were pursu-ing separate and often overlappingRPV efforts. It froze all FY88RDT&E funding ($52.6 million) fornon-lethal unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs) and directed DoD to developa coherent joint-service plan. In June1988, the Pentagon submitted aseven-year, $2.3 billion master plan

covering development and procure-ment of four different UAVs(Close-Range, Short-Range, Me-dium-Range, and Endurance) for avariety of missions.

UAV-E RequirementThe UAV-E system was based on

earlier DARPA-sponsored andin-house efforts including high-alti-tude long-endurance (HALE) UAVssuch as Boeing’s Condor, LeadingSystems’Amber IV, General AtomicsAmber, and E-System’s EVER (En-durance Vehicle for Extended Recon-

naissance). The requirement forUAV-E was for an air vehicle with arange of more than 1,000 miles, andan endurance of about 48 hours. Po-tential missions for the system wouldbe targeting and surveillance of largeareas of a battlefield or ocean, com-munications relay, or long-term mon-itoring of ground-based sensors. The1990 update of the UAV master plancalled for low-rate initial productionof the UAV-E in mid FY97. Underthis plan, initial operational capabilitywould not occur until near the turn ofthe century.



CIA ReorganizationIn the early 1990s, the Joint Chiefs

of Staff requested the rapid develop-ment of a long-range tactical UAV toconduct surveillance operations overBosnia. The program was handedover to the CIA under the expectationthat it could circumvent to DoD ac-quisition bureaucracy and rapidlyfield a system. The UAV selected wasthe General Atomics Gnat-750, a de-rivative of a UAV developed by Lead-ing Systems Inc. under the $40million DARPA Amber program.About eight of the Amber UAVs arestill in storage at the Navy China Lakefacility; these UAVs were signifi-cantly smaller than the Gnat-750.General Atomics acquired the pro-gram after Leading Systems wentbankrupt. The Gnat-750 first flew in1989 and in 1992 completed a40-hour mission from the firm’s testfacility at El Mirage, CA. TwoGnat-750s were acquired for the Tier1 effort. This part of the programaimed at fielding a system with com-mercial sensor technology, which iflost over former Yugoslavia, wouldnot compromise sensi t ive UStechnology.

Technical ProblemsThe program was troubled by the

bureaucratic entanglements of run-ning a DoD/CIA program, and CIAinexperience with UAV flight control,sensor and flight control integration,and data link technology. In October1993, one of the two prototypescrashed due to a computer problemwhich shut down the engine and datalink at speeds under 40 mph. When awind gust induced an indication oflow airspeed, the aircraft lost controland crashed.

Initial Bosnian DeploymentAn expedient system was fielded

by the CIAin Albania in January 1994consisting of two Gnat-750 air vehi-cles and a ground control system withsatellite uplink. The aim was to basethe systems out of Italy, but the Italiangovernment denied CIA requests tostation the UAV-E Tier 1 team in Italy.The original plan had called for de-

ployment in October 1993, but wasput off due to software problems andother technical issues. The Albaniandeployment was a failure and 10 ini-tial flights were conducted. The prob-lems were due to bad weather over thesurveillance areas, maintenanceproblems, and continued difficultieswith the data link. The CIA began us-ing a Schweitzer RG-8 poweredglider as the data relay. By the sum-mer of 1994, the operation had con-ducted 30 flights of which 12 wereviewed as successful. In the summerof 1994, the operation was apparentlyshifted to Croatia that eased the oper-ational problems caused by the longflight times into Bosnia.

Tier 2The resurrected USAF UAV-E

program, labeled Tier 2, was expectedto last about 2 years and cost $92 mil-lion. The initial program objectivewas initially 10 air vehicles with threeassociated ground control stations.The Tier 2 version has more sophisti-cated sensors than the Tier 1, andflight control is managed by a satellitedata uplink rather than using the cum-bersome aircraft relay needed withthe earlier version. The uplink capa-bility was first demonstrated during a2 December 1993 test flight of a Gnat750 UAV that transmitted imagery ofvarious mobile targets includingtanks.

The UAV JPO released an RFP forthe Tier 2 UAV-Endurance in Decem-ber 1993. Competition for theUAV-Endurance requirement in-cluded TRW teamed with IAI with anundisclosed air vehicle; TeledyneRyan with a variant of its Model 410;and General Atomics with an im-proved Gnat 750. The procurementprogram was limited to US compa-nies only due to access to sensitivenew technologies. System integrationincluded UHF and GFP Ku-band sat-ellite communications, and EO IRand GFP-SAR sensor capabilities.The system characteristics included apayload of 450 lb, radius of action of500 nm at 15,000 feet and enduranceof at least 24 hours. The program

schedule called for demonstration ofthe EO/IR sensor-UHF uplink proto-type in 6 months, assembly offieldable systems in 12 months, test ofa SAR/Ku-band data link in 18months, upgrade of the initial systemsin 24 months and completeoperational trials in 30 months.

Tier 2 Contract AwardOn 7 January 1994, General

Atomics was awarded a $31.7 millioncost-plus-fixed-fee (CPFF) contractfor the Tactical Endurance UAV ad-vanced concept technology demon-stration. The contract will eventuallyentai l the del ivery of tenGnat-750-TE Predators (a.k.a.Gnat-750-45) and three ground con-trol stations. The satellite data-linkfor the system was provided byUnisys and the mission planning sys-tems by Boeing Military Aircraft.Work was to be completed by June1996. The program was developedunder the new Advanced Concept andTechnology Demonstration (ACTD),meaning that it was managed outsidethe usual Defense Acquisition Boardprocess.

Tier 2 Predator DemonstrationProgram

The 30-month demonstrationschedule called for initial flights bythe first three air vehicles the summerof 1994 using the first ground-controlstation (GCS). This initial effort fo-cused on air vehicle/sensor/GCS inte-gration and demonstration of the EOsensor and UHF satellite datalink. ByNovember 1994, the three first Preda-tors had accumulated over 100 hoursflight time during 40 flights. By Janu-ary 1995, four aircraft and the secondGCS were delivered and the systemswere ready to go into the field at theJTF-95 or Red Flag exercises or tosupport unexpected internationalcontingencies. A total of 10 Predatorswere under construction at the time.During the summer of 1995, the #9and #10 Predators were under con-struction with a SAR sensor for deliv-ery in December 1995. The UHFsatellite datalink was later replaced bya Ku-band wide-band satellite



datalink. This reconfigured systemoperated with the third GCS, also de-livered by this date. Three more up-graded UAVs were ready by January1996 and the retrofit of other UAVsbegan. There were ten full-capabilityPredators by June-July 1996.

Additional Predators to be Ac-quired

The Congress decided to add $25million to the FY95 budget (bringingit to $45 million) to provide fundingfor five additional Predators fittedwith a SIGINT capability and laserdesignators; the funding was ear-marked to provide an additionalground control station suitable forSIGINT data reception.

Predator Deployed to BosniaA US DoD team was deployed

with the Predator UAV system atGjader, Albania (55 mi north ofTirana) in July 1995 for operationsover Bosnia. The original deploy-ment apparently consisted of three airvehicles and one GCS; a fourth UAVwas apparently sent later. The sortierate was about six per week with typi-cal missions lasting 12 to 16 hours.Two UAVs were lost in August. Thefirst was lost on 11 August when sig-nals abruptly ceased while it was loi-tering at low altitude in an area toobserve Bosnia Serb movements.Bosnian sources claimed to have shotit down and retrieved the wreckagethat they said was being turned over toRussia for technical evaluation. Thesecond loss on 14 August occurred af-ter the Predator had climbed back to20,000 ft for the flight home. The en-gine began to malfunction and theGCS crew attempted to glide the UAVback to the Adriatic for retrieval.When it became evident that thiswould not be possible, the crewsteered it into a mountain to prevent itfrom falling into Serb hands. A thirdPredator (No. 7 with the new Ku bandSATCOM link) crashed during trialsat El Mirage airport, California dur-ing trials but may be repairable.

After an interlude in 1995 whenthe unit was withdrawn, the Predatorreturned to Bosnia in March 1996 un-

der Air Force control and conductedoperations through February 1997.On its first mission, the Predator lostits satellite link but managed to flyback to its operating base at Taszar,Hungary. The redeployed unit had anupgraded version of the Predator witha synthetic aperture radar sensor. APredator crashed in a minefield in Oc-tober 1996 near Tuzla, but was recov-ered with the assistance of RussianIFOR troops. A fourth Predatorcrashed while approaching the run-way at Mostar in Bosnia on 11 August1997 due to engine problems. The airvehicle was fitted with a SAR radar.

The operational tempo of the Pred-ators in Bosnia in 1997 was describedas being about 6 missions per week.

Air Force Forms UAV UnitsThe US Air Force activated its first

UAV unit since the Vietnam War on29 July 1995 at Nellis Air Force Base,designated the 11th ReconnaissanceSquadron of the 57th Wing. This unitformerly operated RF-4C reconnais-sance aircraft and later served as a tac-tical drone control squadron withDC-130 aircraft. Flight operations areexpected to take place at IndianSprings Auxiliary Airfield, also inNevada. The Predator was officiallyhanded over the Air Force control inSeptember 1996. As of August 1997,the squadron had 6 Predators, two ofwhich were deployed in Hungary.

In August 1997, it was announcedthat a second squadron will beformed, the 15th ReconnaissanceSquadron, also to be based initially atIndian Springs. A third squadron maybe established later for training pur-poses.

Predator for Customs Use?The Predator was used in a 1996

test program to examine its suitabilityfor surveillance operations in coun-ter-narcotics mission in support ofP-3 Orion AEW&C aircraft. The re-port to Congress recommendedagainst the use of the Predator in thisrole, citing high costs and perfor-mance shortcomings. However, thereport recommended the use of thePredator in some missions, and noted

that it was worth monitoring, particu-larly as the design matures.

Predator For Naval Use?A study conducted in 1996 con-

cluded that adapting the Predator foroperations from shipboard would becostly and cumbersome, and recom-mended against the effort. Such a pro-gram would have to include a newrecovery system, a reconfigured con-trol station, and a heavy fuel engine.

Although the Navy was skepticalabout the use of Predator from ships,in 1997, the Navy was examining aderivative of the Predator, called theAltus 2, for possible use as a longrange reconnaissance platform forobtaining targeting data for longrange str ike systems such asSLAM-ER. Aprototype of the systemwas first flown in August 1997. TheAltus 2 is fitted with a data link forpassing information back to F/A-18strike fighters.

Predator LossesA Predator UAV was lost on ap-

proach to Tuzla airport in April 1999while returning from a mission overKosovo. Total losses over Kosovowere reported to have been three airvehicles. A further three Predatorswere lost during the May 1999Kosovo air campaign, two to enemyaction.

An Air Force Predator was shotdown over Iraq in September 2001.An additional Predator, apparentlyunder CIAdirection, was lost during amission over Afghanistan in late Sep-tember 2001, though apparently dueto mechanical malfunction.

Predator losses through January2003 were 27 air vehicles of the ap-proximately 55 delivered to date. ThePredator reached the 50,000 flighthour mark in October 2002, suggest-ing that the loss rate of the Predatorwas roughly 1 per 1,850 hours offlight time.

AltairIn January 2000, NASA an-

nounced plans to acquire three Preda-tor B UAVs for its EnvironmentalResearch Aircraft and Sensor Tech-



nology (ERAST) program. The Pred-ator B is being developed jointly withcompany funds ($8 million) andNASAfunds ($10 million) In contrastthe existing Predator, the PredatorB001 is powered by a HoneywellTPE331-10T turboprop engine, andis substantially larger weighing morethan twice as much on takeoff andwith a 64 ft. vs. 48 foot wing. ThePredator B002 is powered by a Wil-liams FJ44-2A turbofan. The Preda-tor B has increased payload, goingfrom 450 lb to 650 lb. The first testflight was completed in February2001. Altair was the first civil UAV toreceive an FAA airworthiness certifi-cate in September 2005.

New SensorsNew sensor packages being con-

sidered for deployment on Predatorinclude a foliage-penetrating radar, alaser radar, a CBR detector, a remotemine detector, and a data relay pack-age. In late 1998, Predator was flownwith an ELINT package. In 1999, theUS Army fitted four Predators withlaser designators to mark targets forlaser-guided munitions.

Predator Hunter-KillerThe Air Force began experiments

with a Predator armed with the Hell-fire missile in 2000. This programwas originally intended to serve as atestbed for future UCAV develop-ments rather than as a forerunner foractual Predator missions. The firstthree firing tests were conducted in

February 2001 and all three missileshit the target. The initial tests wereconducted from a relatively low alti-tude of only 2,000 feet. These testscontinued, including plans to conductfurther trials with AGM-114K mis-siles launched from altitudes over10,000 feet. Through August 2001,16 launches had been conducted up toan altitude of 15,000 feet with “mixedresults”. Although not planned foroperational deployment, armed Pred-ators were used with considerablesuccess in Operation Enduring Free-dom over Afghanistan in 2001-2002.In addition, an armed Predator wasused in Yemen in 2002 to kill a top AlQaeda operative. The MQ-1B wasoperated out of Djibouti under CIAdirection with USAF personnel, and acar carrying Qaed Salim Sinan (a.k.a.Abu Ali) was destroyed by a singleHellfire missile. The success of thisapplication led to the Air Force deci-sion in 2003 to convert all RQ-1 to theMQ-1B hunter-killer configuration.

Navy Broad Area Maritime Sur-veillance

Although the Navy selected theRQ-4 Global Hawk for its originaldemonstrations of UAVs for the mari-time surveillance role, it broadenedits search for the definitive air vehicleat the procurement stage to considerPredator derivatives. One of the ini-tial offerings was a turbo-jet poweredversion of the Predator, dubbed Pred-ator C, but General Atomics, teamedwith Lockheed Martin, offered a de-

rivative of the Predator B, calledPredator B-ER or Mariner. The proto-type Mariner first flew on 22 April2004. However, the Navy selected therival RQ-4 Global Hawk for BAMSin April 2008.

MQ-9A ReaperThe success of the armed RQ-1A

Predators led the Air Force to acceler-ate the development of a heavier ver-sion of Predator, dedicated to thehunter-killer role. The Air Force se-lected the Predator B for this mission,now designated MQ-9A Reaper inAir Force service. Supplementaryfunding in the FY02 budget coveredthe acquisition of the first threeMQ-9As and a total of 23 Reaperswere funded as part of the Predatorline in FY02-07. After FY07, Reaperis funded on its own budget line. Thefirst Reaper was built in January 2002and first operational Reaper was de-livered to Creech AFB in Nevada inMarch 2007. The Reaper became op-erational in both Iraq and Afghanistanin 2007.

By mid-2002, the Air Force objec-tive was to acquire two MQ-9 squad-rons, each consisting of 20 airvehicles and five ground control sta-tions. The FY08 budget submissionanticipated funding 51 Reapersthrough FY13.

The Air Force also began trials ofother munitions from the MQ-9A in-cluding the JDAM bomb, andAGM-65 Maverick missile.

Export Status

AustraliaThe Mariner version of Predator

has been offered to Australia as an al-ternative to the Global Hawk. AMari-ner participated in a demonstrationalong the north-west Australian coastthrough 2007 pursuant to this pro-gram. However, Australia first de-cided to back the US Navy selectionfor BAMS, the Global Hawk, but sub-sequently deferred participating inthe program.

BritainPredator was one of the systems

originally offered to satisfy the Brit-ish Watchkeeper requirement but notpart of the final bid package. This pro-gram is covered in a separate report inthis section, and the Israeli Hermeswas subsequently selected for this re-quirement. In early 2004, British offi-cials began discussions with the USabout borrowing or leasing Predatorsfor use by British units in Iraq. A Brit-ish operated MQ-1 Predator was in-volved in an airstrike in late 2004

using one of the leased aircraft. TheUK also conducted a series of trialsdubbed Falcon Prowl in early 2005using a Predator B fitted with a Good-rich DB-110 recon system as a possi-ble candidate for the RAF LongRange Long Endurance (LRLE) re-quirement to replace the CanberraPR9 photo recon aircraft sometimeafter 2006.

In 2006, Britain decided to pur-chase Predators with two Reapers(Predator Bs) ordered for delivery inApril 2007. The Predators were as-



signed to the 39 Squadron based inWaddington. In 2008-2009, the 39Squadron has operated out of CreechAFB in the US alongside US Preda-tor/Reaper units with a forward de-ployed detachment in Afghanistan tomaintain the aircraft. On 3 January2008, the Congress was notified ofthe proposed sale of 10 MQ-9 Reap-ers to the UK at an eventual cost of$1.07 billion. The RAF already oper-ated Reapers on loan from the USAFover Iraq in late 2007.

CanadaGeneral Atomics has teamed with

General Dynamics-Canada to offerthe Predator to Canada for a maritimesurveillance requirement.

FranceIn June 1997, the Predator was dis-

played at the Paris Air Show. Thesponsor for the show was the Frenchfirm SAGEM which is teaming withGeneral Atomics in an effort to inter-est the French government in theAltus derivative of the Predator for aFrench requirement for a high endur-ance UAV. France subsequently se-lected the Eagle, a derivative of theIAI Heron.

GermanyIn May 2007, there were press re-

ports that the German air force plansto acquire the Predator B for its tacti-cal reconnaissance requirements des-ignated SAATEG. The requirement isfor about five air vehicles, and Preda-tor is expected to compete against theIsraeli Heron 450.

ItalyAs a result of the Kosovo cam-

paign, in May 2000, the Italian airforce announced plans to acquire sixPredator systems as a result of “les-sons learned” during the Kosovo aircampaign. The contract included fourUAVs with payload and two withoutwith delivery beginning in late 2001and ending in 2002 and Meteorserved as the Italian prime contractor;only five were delivered. One of theair vehicles was lost during training,reducing the force to four and one washeavily damaged during an accidentin Iraq. Operational capability wasreached in December 2004. FourPredators are operated by the 32Stormo, 28 Gruppo Velivol iTeleguidata “Le Streghe” which de-ployed from its home base, AmendolaAFB near Foggia, to Tallil AFB nearAn Nasiriyah in Iraq in January 2005.The UAV group reached 1,000 flighthours by early 2006.

In August 2004, Italy announcedplans to acquire another 5 Predators,but to date this has been limited totwo, one attrition spare and one moreto fill out the original order for six.Predator assembly in Italy is under-taken by Galileo Avionica, a unit ofFinmeccanica. In June 2004, the Ital-ian parliament passed legislation toopen up Italian airspace to the Preda-tor UAV for operations. Plans to ac-quire two more Predators in 2005floundered due to budget problems,with the plans now shifted to the 2007budget. In February 2008, the parlia-ment approved the acquisition of four

Predator B/Reapers by 2011 at an ex-pected cost of $117 million. The planas of late 2008 was to acquire five airvehicles and three GCSs. Since theItalian air force plans to use these forreconnaissance, they will not be con-figured with hard-points for weapons.On 19 November 2009, the US Con-gress was notified of the proposedsale of 2 MQ-9 Reapers to Italy at acost of $63 million.

PakistanPakistan approached the US in

2002 about acquiring Predator forborder surveillance and has subse-quently requested the Reaper.

TurkeyIn late 1992, the Turkish ministry

of defense acquired test batches ofGeneral Atomics Gnat-700, AAI Fal-con 600 and IAI Searcher UAVs for alocal requirement. Turkey was alsodeveloping its own UAV called Wit-ness. The two American companiesreceived contracts for $30 millioneach for a ground control station andsix air vehicles each. However, Tur-key ran into serious funding difficul-ties after the first 3 were delivered.The CIA asked Congress to fund thepurchase of four Gnat 750s manufac-tured for Turkey to add to its fleet ofTier 1 UAVs. In the end, Turkey re-ceived two ground control stationsand 6 Gnat-750 air vehicles in 1994and ordered two more air vehicles asattrition spares in 1998.

Current Developments

The Budget Roller-CoasterThe Air Force funded 102 air vehi-

cles through FY04. Under the FY04budget plan, the USAF was to fund 62MQ-9A Predator B hunter-killerUAVs in the FY02-09 budgets, butunder the FY05 budget this wasslashed to 27 air vehicles and revisedyet again in the FY06 budget back upto 101 Predator Bs through FY11.The FY07 budget submission in Feb-ruary 2006 again saw a major shift inprocurement objectives. The USAF

added a substantial number of Preda-tors to the FY05-11 plan, going from160 to 255 aircraft. At the same time,there was a pronounced shift in thecomposition of the planned force infavor of the MQ-1 over the MQ-9 ver-sions. The MQ-1 objective increasedfrom 59 to 218 aircraft while MQ-9fell from 101 to only 37 aircraft in theFY05-11 plans. In the FY09 budgetsubmission, the objective was a totalof 416 Predators funded throughFY13, with 198 having been funded

through FY06. The FY10 budget sawyet another shift with the Air Forcedeciding to terminate MQ-1 Predatoracquisition in favor of Reaper, cap-ping procurement at 320 MQ-1through FY09, the last year of fund-ing. RQ-9 Reaper under the FY11budget plan is 341 aircraft throughFY15 at a cost of $7.2 billion withprocurement expected to ramp up to48 aircraft in FY11.

In May 2008, the USAF and Armybegan planning to adopt a common



version of the Predator based on theArmy MQ-1C. However, with USAFPredator acquisition coming to anend, this may be limited to the last 20Predators from the FY09 productionbatch.

Reaper DevelopmentAside from the shift from Predator

to Reaper procurement, the USAF isalso expanding its development efforton the airframe through a set of im-provement packages. The SDD Incre-ment 1 package developed throughFY10 includes GBU-38 multi-storecapabi l i ty, BRY-71 updates ,GBU-12/EGBU-12 ripple launch ca-pability, Lynx radar stationary targetclassifier and a number of other im-provements. The SDD Increment 2package to be developed in FY12-15envisions a universal armament inter-face, Small Diameter Bomb andJAGM missile capability, improvednavigation and communicationssuites and other upgrades.

Navy Armed PredatorIn December 2005, the US Navy

acquired a single MQ-9A Predator Bfor an undisclosed application, not as-sociated with BAMS. The acquisitiondid not appear in the open budget. Inlate 2008, the Navy noted that it had infact acquired four MQ-9 Reapersfrom November 2005 to March 2007for a “sensor testing and integrationproject.”

MQ-1C Sky Warrior ERMPThe US Army awarded a contract

in May 2003 for 3 IGNAT UAVsbased on the Predator to help defineits UAV requirements for a tacticalUAV with capabilities beyond thosepossible with the smaller RQ-7AShadow for use at division/corpslevel. The RQ-5 Hunter was onceconsidered a possible candidate forthe Army’s Extended RangeMulti-Purpose UAV, but a more capa-ble platform was desired by the Army.ERMP is designed to fill a spot be-tween the Army Shadow and the AirForce MQ-9 Predator B in capability.However, the Army wants to operatethe ERMP using the existing GCS of

the Shadow UAV, not an entirely newsystem infrastructure. The Army re-leased the RFP for ERMP in Septem-ber 2004. The program was plannedto entail about four-five systems eachwith 12-18 air vehicles and 5 GCS;the FY09 budget plan envisions 9 sys-tems through FY13. The Phase I in-volved a down-select to twocompetitors which took place in earlyFY05 and included General Atomics(teamed with AAI and Sparta) with aPredator derivative called Warrior, aNorthrop Grumman team with a ver-sion of the Israeli Heron calledHunter II. The General Atomics War-rior was selected by the Army for theERMP requirement on 8 August2005. It is now being referred to bythe Army as Sky Warrior.

Funding for engineering develop-ment of the ERMPbegan in FY06 andwas expected to cost $280.5 millionthrough FY11; the SDD phase wasexpected to be completed by 1QFY08but in recent years, the Army hasshifted to referring to the program as a“continuing” effort, with RDT&Efunding continuing until the end ofFY11. The Army began procurementfunding of the first system in FY08with starting with low-rate initial pro-duction in FY08-FY10 and a full-rateproduction award at the end of FY09.The first “Block 0” aircraft flew on 6June 2007; the first production con-figured air vehicle flew in April 2008.Although the Army had originallyplanned to wait for “Block 1” beforefielding first unit in late 2009/early2010, a supplementary contract wasawarded in 2007 for 6 Block 0 aircraftto place capability in Iraq as quicklyas possible. Two Block 0 aircraft werefirst deployed in Iraq in April 2008.The First Unit Equipped is scheduledfor 3QFY11 and Initial OperationalCapability I 4QFY12.

Recent Army documents suggestthat the program objective is now setat one Warrior system in each of theten divisions, and the requirement isfor 132 Block 1 air vehicles; the FY11budget document suggests 158 air ve-hicles through FY15 at a cost of $2.9billion.

The army is funding a variety ofsupporting efforts including an Ad-vanced Payload Development fo-cused primarily on a SAR/GMTIpayload, and a separate TacticalSIGINT Payload. In April 2008, theArmy decided to adopt the NorthropGrumman Starlite SAR/GMTI in-stead of the General Atomics Lynx II.Lockheed Martin has been develop-ing an advanced penetrating radarcalled Tracer for the US ArmyCERDEC for potential use on SkyWarrior.

Border Patrol PredatorCongressional support for UAV

technology prompted US Customsand Border Protection (CPB) to addUAVs to its aviation force. In 2004,CPB leased an Israeli Elbit Hermesand borrowed a US Army Hunter toconduct trials along the Mexican bor-der as a possible tool for border pa-trol. The Hermes logged 590 hours offlight over four months and theHunter a further 329 hours over threemonths . This demonstra t ionprompted a Congressional addition tothe CPB budget for the acquisition ofa General Atomics Predator B in 2005which began operations in October2005 from Sierra Vista municipal air-port along the Mexican border. ThePredator crashed on 24 April 2006due to apparent pilot error but the pro-gram proved successful enough thatCongress funded another Predatorwhich deployed in November 2006.CPB now has plans to fund UAV op-erations at about $10 million per year.Congress funded two more Predatorsin the FY06 supplemental, and theFY07 budget funds 2 more. As of thesummer of 2009, five were opera-tional. The additional UAVs will leadto expanded demonstration effortswith a Canadian border patrol demon-stration to be based out of GrandForks, North Dakota in the autumn of2007 and a joint CPB/Coast Guard ef-fort in Florida in the spring of 2007. InJune 2009, a Predator began a threeweek evaluation effort out of fortDrum in upstate New York to patrolthe St. Lawrence river and Lake On-



tario along the Canadian border. TheCPB effort is being controlled out ofan integrated Air and Marine Opera-tions Center in Riverside, Californiawhich facilitates coordination withthe FAA. The CPB program is prov-ing to be the ground-breaker for UAVairspace access issues and so couldfacilitate further UAV use by othergovernment agencies.

In 2009, CPB pulled one of thePredators from patrol duty and sent itback to General Atomics for modifi-cation to make it more suitable for aplanned deployment in a maritime pa-trol role.

In May 2006, the FAA also gavethe Air Force the green light to usePredators over the United States dur-ing disaster relief operations forsearch and rescue. Although the AirForce was ready to provide this capa-bility in the wake of Hurricane Ka-trina in 2005, the missions werecancelled due to national airspace re-strictions.

Predator C (Avenger)In April 2009, General Atomics

revealed its privately-developedPredator C, now known as Avenger.The first flight was conducted on 4

April 2009. In contrast to the previousmembers of the family, the Predator Cis jet powered, using the P&WPW545B. The aircraft appears to beaimed at the US Air Force’s MQ-XNext Generation UAS requirement.In 2010, General Atomic has also un-veiled a navalized version called SeaAvenger which may be aimed at theNavy’s UCLASS requirement.

Teal Group Analysis

The Predator UAV program haslaid the groundwork for future endur-ance UAVs. Through the 1990s, theUS military relied on U-2s to performhigh altitude, long-endurance mis-sions. However, with the spread ofhigh altitude anti-aircraft missileslike the Russian S-200 Angara (SA-5Gammon), these missions became toorisky. The main catalyst to the Preda-tor has been the intelligence/surveil-lance demands of the operations inIraq and Afghanistan which have sig-nificantly increased the procurementand operations tempo of the Predator.

The decision to employ the Preda-tors in a more versatile hunter-killerrole has considerably expanded inter-est in the program. The successful useof the Predator in this role over Af-ghanistan in 2001, Yemen in 2002,and Iraq in 2003 opened the AirForce’s eyes to the possibility of hav-

ing UCAV capability today instead ofat the end of the decade. The Reaperhas proven to be exceptionally wellsuited to the type of counter-insur-gency operations in which the US iscurrently engaged. As a result, the AirForce’s acquisition plans for theReaper have continued to expandover the past few years.

The Army has selected the Preda-tor’s MQ-1C Sky Warrior derivativeto complement is short-range RQ-7Tactical UAV. This has caused somefriction with the Air Force which in2007 attempted to take control of themedium-high altitude UAVs. TheArmy has resisted this effort but DoDhas been attempting to foster greatercommonality between both. TheUSAF has talked about acquiring theMQ-1C, but this may be something ofa moot point with the shift to theMQ-9.

Predator and its derivatives such asthe Gnat 750 have already been ex-ported in modest numbers, and it willnot be surprising to see more exportedlate in the forecast period. It is likelythat the US Congress will keep a closeeye on these exports due to MTCRproblems, and they will probably beconfined at first to close allies. So far,Britain and Italy are already operatingthe Predator, but Germany also hasthe Predator on its short list for itsMALE UAV requirement.

The Predator has also been leadingthe way with sales into the civil/gov-ernment market, first with experi-mental types such as the NASAAltair, but more recently with surveil-lance types such as the Border PatrolPredators. This is likely to continueand these are included in the US Gov-ernment (USG) line below.

Funding Forecast

RDT&E ($ Millions) FY11 FY12 FY13 FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY

PE0205219F Reaper DevelopmentReaper 125.4 111.6 80.1 52.9 27.3 30.0 30.0 30.0 30.0 30.0

PE0305219F Predator DevelopmentPredator 28.9 12.8 7.2 4.8 0.8 — — — — —

PE0304260F Airborne SIGINTMQ-9 SIGINT 29.7 11.2 11.6 3.1 3.1 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0

PE0305204A Tactical UAVAPDS 40.2 86.1 27.5 27.5 27.5 18.0 18.0 12.0 12.0 12.0TSP 5.3 — — — — — — — — —

PE0305219A Tactical UAVMQ-1C 123.2 60.7 29.3 21.9 19.3 17.0 15.0 15.0 15.0 15.0



Procurement ($ Millions) FY11 FY12 FY13 FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY

US Air Force Procurement 3010FReaper 1079.6 1092.2 1142.0 1042.2 1053.0 375.0 375.0 375.0 375.0 375.0(quantity) (48) (48) (48) (48) (48) (15) (15) (15) (15) (15)Predator mods 208.2 123.0 99.7 75.0 44.8 85.0 85.0 120.0 120.0 120.0Reaper mods 269.3 202.5 378.0 427.7 580.7 400.0 450.0 400.0 400.0 400.0

US Army Procurement: BA-1 Aircraft ProcurementMQ-1 506.3 483.5 490.6 510.3 478.1 450.0 — — — —(systems) (26) (27) (27) (27) (27) (27) — — — —

Production Forecast

User (Variant) Through 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Total

General AtomicsCIA (Gnat 750) 9 — — — — — — — — — — 9USAF (R/MQ-1) 270 48 2 — — — — — — — — 320USAF (MQ-9) 26 11 19 24 42 52 48 48 48 48 48 414USA (MQ-1C) 7 12 14 25 27 27 27 27 27 27 — 220USG (Altair/Pred) 8 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 25Export (RQ-1/-9) 35 6 6 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 111

Total 355 78 42 58 79 89 85 85 85 85 58 1,099





Documents

Preditor Program Cost and Contract Overview