Army Sky Warrior Program

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Army Sky Warrior Program
Providing capabilities to soldiers in combat
December 2008
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ER/MP MQ-1C Sky Warrior Overview

• Mission Provide U.S. Army division commanders a
  responsive, agile, and flexible capability to
  perform RSTA, communications relay,
  manned/unmanned teaming and target attack
• Contract awarded August 2005
• SDD program
• 17 aircraft (Block 1)
• 7 ground control stations (GCS)
• Full program 11 systems
• 12 aircraft and 5 GCS per system
• Milestone C decision first quarter GFY 10

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I-GNAT ER/SKY WARRIOR ALPHA

• 16 currently deployed
• Initial deployment March 2004 74,000 total
  flight hours to date

High-Time Airframe Flight Hours 1 2 3
12,000 11,000 10,000
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Sky Warrior Block 0 (No TCDL, Uses GA-ASI GCS)

• Intent to field quickly and as a MQ-1C Program
  risk reduction
• Similarities to SDD (Block 1)
• Airframe
• Thielert 1.7 liter diesel engine
• Triple/dual redundancies (avionics flight
  control surfaces)
• Block 0 deployed in April 2008
• Provided true Sky Warrior capability to the field
  16 months early
• Over 3,000 flight hours
• Limited unscheduled maintenance actions
• First two aircraft flew 1,000 flight hours with
  no unscheduled maintenance action
• ISR surge OSD inserted two Quick Reaction
  Capability (Block 1) systems in April 08
• 4 aircraft 2 OSGCS system to deploy July 09

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ER/MP Sky Warrior Block 1

• Differences from Predator
• 30 increase in GTOW
• Four HELLFIRE missiles
• Heavy fuel engine
• Triple redundant avionics flight controls
• Dual redundant flight control surfaces

• Auto takeoff land (dual systems)
• TCDL LOS communications
• TCDL air data relay communications
• De-icing
• One system GCS

APW873TJC12-10-07
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Block 1 Status

• 10 aircraft built and 7 One System GCSs
• Tactical Control Data Link (TCDL) and Ku SATCOM
  operable
• Successfully demonstrated fully automated flight
  on TCDL
• Successfully demonstrated auto takeoff and
  landing from OSGCS via TCDL
• Soldier training began 24 November for first QRC
  deployment (June 2009)
• Early fielding with Sky Warrior deployments of
  Block 0 and QRC

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How Far We Have Come
600,000 Predator series flight hours to date
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U.S. Army Program Summary

• 77,000 (I-GNAT ER/Sky Warrior Alpha Block 0)
  flight hours supporting Army ground forces
• Sky Warrior Block 0 has provided risk reduction
  for MQ-1C Sky Warrior
• Surpassed technical challenges of MQ-1C SDD
  program
• Soldier operator training for QRC deployment
  ongoing

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High Ops Tempo
Every second of every day, 40 Predator-series
aircraft are airborne worldwide.
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