미 공군, 아프가니스탄에 신형 ISR Pod 장착 MQ-9 Reaper 배치예정...

 

미 공군이 금년 봄부터 기존 MQ-9 Reaper 무인정찰기에 성능이 향상된 ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance) pod

를 장착할 예정이라는 소식입니다.

 

MQ-9 Reaper (Predator B) 의 상세한 내용은 다음을 참조하시면 됩니다.  --->  Predator B  &  MQ-9 Reaper

 

BAE Systems 는 2007년 11월 미 국방성 산하 DARPA 와 ARGUS-IS (Autonomous Real-Time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance

Imaging System) 을 개발하기로 계약한 바 있으며, 약 30개월에 걸친 연구 끝에 Gorgon Stare 로 명명된 신형 ISR pod 를 선 보인

것 입니다. 

 

금년 봄 부터 MQ-9 Reaper 무인정찰기에 장착될 Gorgon Stare pod 는 10개 목표물에 대한 실시간 정찰감시 영상을 지상으로 전송

할 수 있으며, 향후 30개, 65개 등으로 동시 정찰감시 능력을 늘려나갈 계획이라 합니다.

 

 

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  ⓒ USAF

 

New Airborne ISR Sensors Expected In Afghanistan This Spring

Helicopter News    01/05/2010

 

The Air Force will begin sending a newly developed aerial sensor pod that can provide 10 times the viewing power of current systems to Afghanistan in the spring, a top service official said.

 

The first three Gorgon Stare pods will arrive by April. The wide-area airborne surveillance systems will be mounted on MQ- 9 Reaper drone aircraft, said Lt. Gen. David Deptula, the Air Force deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR).

 

"What this Gorgon Stare pod will allow us to do is transmit up to 10 different video images to 10 different users on the ground," Deptula told reporters at a Defense Writers Group breakfast in Washington.

 

Currently, only one video feed is provided per platform.

 

Sister publication Defense Daily first reported the Air Force's development of Gorgon Stare in the fall of 2008. The effort was part of Defense Secretary Robert Gates' plan to provide ground troops with better situational awareness--often referred to as an "ISR surge."

 

The next set of six Gorgon Stare pods 一 due in Afghanistan by October 一 will provide up to 30 video feeds to 30 different locations, according to Deptula. The Air Force also hopes to develop a 65-feed variant in follow-on increments, he added.

 

"We are vastly increasing the capability of these systems without increasing the number of platforms," Deptula said.

 

The new pods weigh approximately 1,500 pounds each, which make them too heavy to be flown on the Predator or the Army's MQ-1 variant, the Sky Warrior. Deptula said the Air Force's primary reason for purchasing more MQ-9s was the desire to accommodate the new capability.

 

The sensor, even in its first generation, will provide a broader video picture than legacy systems provide. The picture provided measures approximately 2.5 miles square, according to Air Force documents.

 

Meanwhile, the service is also deploying 24 modified MC-12 Huron twin-engine turboprop aircraft for manned ISR missions in Afghanistan.

 

Deptula declined to provide details about the Air Force's new stealthy reconnaissance drone, which the service earlier this month acknowledge is operating in Afghanistan. The aircraft is said to resemble the B-2 Spirit bomber, on a smaller scale.

 

 

  ⓒ USAF

 

  ⓒ USAF