General Atomics unveils its new Mojave Drone, capable of carrying 16 Hellfire missiles

News, US December 13, 2021 , by IRIA No Comments

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems unveiled its latest Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), the Mojave Drone.

The UAS is capable of carrying a payload of 16 missiles and taking off and landing on undeveloped and short surfaces. The Mojave’s “enlarged wings with high-lift devices, and a 450-HP turboprop engine” enable it to carry more payloads, equivalent to 16 Hellfire missiles.

The development of the aircraft was kept secret for months until it was revealed last month. The aircraft took its first flight in the summer of 2021.

General Atomics statement stated that although it has borrowed the Gray Eagle or Reaper UAV design, the Mojave is a “purpose-built airplane, designed from the ground up for expeditionary use in rugged environments or in atypical runway conditions.” According to the manufacturer, the earlier drones could not gain short takeoff and landing (STOL) performance with a wing retrofit, however, “Mojave is designed with an eye toward dirt roads, hard-packed sand, dry riverbeds and other atypical runways, and the Mojave does not need a typical runway but can take off in a short distance from an unimproved surface.”

According to General Atomics, the Mojave can be used for sea-based support for special operations forces as well as various naval missions. The Drone is capable of carrying multiple sensors, the Eagle Eye long-range radar, an electro-optical/infrared camera, and signals intelligence payload.

General Atomics representatives said on December 8 briefing that the Mojave basically uses the Gray Eagle fuselage and adds an enlarged wing with high-lift devices and a Rolls Royce 450-horsepower turboprop engine. General Atomics UAS is based on the avionics and flight control systems of the MQ-9 Reaper and the MQ-1C Gray Eagle.

General Atomics unveils new Mojave UAS. (Image Credit: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems) — *^{General Atomics unveils its new Mojave UAS. (Image Credit: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems)}*

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems CEO Linden Blue stated that the Mojave UAS is a “long-endurance, armed overwatch UAS that can quickly reload weapons at austere sites, located close to the conflict zone.” Blue further stated that “This revolutionary design, based on 7 million flight hours of UAS experience, increases expeditionary employment options — making Mojave a real game-changer.”

“We’re proud to bring these extraordinary capabilities to our Predator line… We are providing the ground force[s] with a long-endurance, armed over-watch UAS that can quickly reload weapons at austere sites, located close to the conflict zone,” General Atomics Aeronautical Systems CEO Linden Blue added.

The Mojave has “endurance, power, and cooling for sensors or other mission systems.” The UAV also has an increased payload capacity of 1, 633 kg or 3,600 pounds. The developer combined the MQ-1C Gray Eagle- Extended Range and the MQ-9 Reaper’s avionics and flight control systems in Mojave’s design and added additional features to improve survivability in a more rugged environment.