General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA ASI) and Northrop Grumman demonstrated the Predator B/MQ-9 Reaper Unmanned Aircraft System’s (UAS) electronic attack capability during a U.S. Marine Corps’ Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) course.
The demonstration evaluated the capability of a UAS to conduct electronic warfare missions alongside other unmanned aircraft, according to GA ASI. During the demonstration, two Predators were operated, one with Northrop’s Pandora Electronic Warfare (EW) system, and a GA ASI-owned Predator with a jamming pod. Northrop Grumman’s payload was successfully integrated with the Predator B avionics, and the command and control architecture, GA ASI said.
“Our collaboration with the Marine Corps and Northrop Grumman demonstrates the operational flexibility of the Predator B from being primarily a counter-insurgency aircraft to a platform that can address a broader spectrum of operational requirements,” said Frank W. Pace, president, aircraft systems at GA ASI.