The newest drone from American manufacturer General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) operated from an aircraft carrier for the first time. The Mojave, as it is called, carried out its first tests aboard the British ship HMS Prince of Wales off the east coast of the United States.
The tests took place last Wednesday (15) and saw the unmanned system (UAS) make approaches, landings, takeoffs and taxis from the British aircraft carrier. During the demonstration, the Mojave was in command of a station installed on the Prince of Wales.
“We applaud the Royal Navy’s vision in adopting this unprecedented capability for its aircraft carriers”, said Linden Blue, CEO of GA-ASI. “We knew our STOL [short takeoff and landing] capability would allow a UAS to take off and land safely at Prince of Wales. Seeing our Mojave operate successfully in this environment opens up countless new ways for our aircraft to be used to multi-domain naval operations.”
Still in the development phase, the Mojave is known for its STOL capability, allowing it to operate without difficulty from dirt runways and unprepared terrain, while still carrying a series of weapons and/or reconnaissance intelligence equipment.
The aircraft evolved from GA-ASI's other successful drones such as the MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-1 Gray Eagle. According to the manufacturer, a STOL wing set option is also being planned for the larger and more capable MQ-9B aircraft, which includes the SkyGuardian, SeaGuardian variants and the new Protector RG Mk 1, currently being delivered to the Kingdom's Royal Air Force. United.
The MQ-9B STOL version is being considered by the Royal Navy and other navies that operate aircraft from large, flat-deck warships without catapults and arresting cables as seen on US aircraft carriers.
“The Mojave test is a first for Europe – the first time a remotely piloted aerial system of this size has operated to and from an aircraft carrier outside the United States,” says Rear iral James Parkin, Director of Development, Royal Navy. “The success of this test heralds a new dawn in the way we conduct naval aviation and is another exciting step in the evolution of the Royal Navy’s Carrier Strike Group into a mixed manned and unmanned fighting force.”
Equipping drones with STOL capability provides greater versatility and allows the aircraft to operate in areas previously considered unsuitable for UAS operations, including landing and taking off from an aircraft carrier. The MQ-9B STOL will be capable of carrying the same payloads and conducting the same missions as the SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian, including maritime surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, aerial early warning and surface attack, GA-ASI highlights.
