General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) announced last week that it recently demonstrated the ability of a Predator B unmanned aerial vehicle to detect enemy ground-based radar.
During company-funded flight tests at a GA-ASI facility near Palmdale, Calif., a Predator B equipped with a Raytheon [RTN] ALR-69A Radar Warning Receiver successfully identified various ground-based radars, GA-ASI said.
The tests showed “the utility of the aircraft in conducting missions in the proximity of threat radars and enemy air defenses,” said Claudio Pereida, executive vice president of mission systems at GA-ASI.
Pereida added that GA-ASI is “the first company to demonstrate this capability on a remotely piloted aircraft” and that it hopes “to make it available to interested customers on a quick-reaction basis.”
GA-ASI said it plans to conduct more tests with the radar warning receiver later this year. Upcoming tests will include the Link 16 data exchange network. The receiver is already installed on several types of U.S. Air Force aircraft.