Military and Strategic Journal
Issued by the Directorate of Morale Guidance at the General Command of the Armed Forces
United Arab Emirates
Founded in August 1971

2020-01-08

GA-ASI Guardian: Multi-Role - Single Solution

The Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) are taking a hold of the marketplace for Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) drones. Not only is the Predator B popular for military missions but with the new SkyGuardian, GA-ASI’s RPAS now provide high-definition, full-motion electro-optical video, mapping radar, signals intelligence, electronic support measures and maritime surveillance sensors. The requirement for intelligence continues to grow parallel to the demand to network data and intelligence between platforms. 
 
With the growth of terrestrial operations, RPAS are now required to strike threats as they appear in national or international airspace, integrating seamlessly with manned aircraft while responding in a similar manner to air traffic directions.   
 
Through a holistic, nose-to-tail approach to creating a new generation of RPAS, GA-ASI has developed SkyGuardian to fulfil this remit. Operations-ready within an increasingly national airspace, SkyGuardian meets airworthiness engineering and safety standards while providing vastly improved operational capabilities. 
 
The Certifiable Predator B RPAS family includes two variants, SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian, although both RPAS utilise the same airframe as the Certifiable Predator B, including long-span wings for increased range/endurance and airworthiness. Flight/mission system improvements enhance safety and operational effectiveness as both Guardians typically carry the same communications systems and sensors. 
 
Low-cost Mission Success 
With its long endurance, SkyGuardian provides persistent Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) at a significantly lower cost than manned aircraft where endurance is typically limited by the onboard crew. Alternatively, SkyGuardian can use its endurance to reach areas that are far from the base to carry a wide variety of sensor payloads, providing highly detailed intelligence from a significant standoff range.
 
Advanced change detection technology allows the exploitation of raw data to meet a variety of military requirements, particularly applicable to the fluid future battlefield. Indeed, through its ability to carry a large weapon load and advanced automated control systems, SkyGuardian can launch attacks against detected threats. It can greatly reduce the kill-chain between detection and an armed response while prosecuting a mission over a lengthy period of time without needing to return for refuelling or crew changes. 
 
Designed for a focused military purpose in operational theatres, SkyGuardian leverages the Predator family legacy of 4,000,000 flight hours, 90 per cent  of which have been flown in combat. While the Predator series is being flown in theatre by the U.S. Air Force, France, Italy and the United Kingdom, the U.K. Royal Air Force (RAF) is acquiring the SkyGuardian as part of its Protector RG Mk1 programme and is scheduled for first delivery in the early 2020s. 
 
In addition, the Australian government has recently selected GA-ASI’s SkyGuardian variant to provide Armed RPAS to the Australian Defence Force (ADF) under Project Air 7003. The ADF expects to take first delivery in the early 2020s. 
 
“We have worked closely with the ADF to determine the right RPAS to meet their needs,” said Linden Blue, CEO of GA-ASI. “MQ-9B will provide the all-weather, multi-mission support and interoperability that the ADF requires. We look forward to working closely with our Australian industry partners to provide a highly capable RPAS to the ADF, while creating high-tech jobs in Australia.”
 
The Belgium government has approved the acquisition of SkyGuardian to meet the nation’s RPAS requirements. The further evolution of SkyGuardian into other missions and its extended use for training purposes requires that these RPAS be operated outside of military-controlled airspace.
 
Seamless Airspace Integration 
For more than a decade, GA-ASI has been at the forefront of RPAS airworthiness and certification with large-scale investment made by the company in this sector to develop key technologies, such as the Due Regard Radar (DRR) providing separation from non-cooperative aircraft. Their RPAS can climb and descend at rates similar to manned commercial aircraft, ensuring vital platform performance in civil airspace where inability to execute standard rate turns would see a negative commercial impact and diminished ability to integrate seamlessly. 
 
These days, meeting the requirements of a changing air traffic world depends on Required Navigation Performance (RNP) and reduced vertical separation minima. Here, the sophisticated mission planning and accurate navigation systems of SkyGuardian and its Ground Control Station (GCS) provide a natural fit with technological advances in airspace management.
 
Safety, Maintability, Certification 
With a design often driven by the requirements of airworthiness regulations, each SkyGuardian part comes with the ‘paper-trail’ necessary to trace its provenance and manufacturing processes, an advance on comparable ‘legacy’ aircraft. In addition to the Honeywell TPE331 engine and the McCauley four-bladed propeller requiring certified airworthiness, SkyGuardian uses approved conforming airworthiness materials, similar to those employed in airliner construction. 
 
Overall maintainability has been improved and airframe design life has been extended from 20,000 to 40,000 flight hours. Enhanced safety features include better protection against lightning strikes and an improved anti-icing system, while hardened external radomes increase resistance to bird strikes and upgraded thermal management and fire-zones enhance an interior already protected by stainless steel walls. 
 
Another significant systems change is the partition between mission and flight applications, which enables flight technologies to be isolated from payload systems, and a roll-on, roll-off like capability for emerging sensor systems, one that is not possible with an integrated flight and mission application. A ‘black box’ flight data recorder is also included. 
 
SkyGuardian has an Automatic Take-Off and Landing system, with the option of a back-up conventional manual flight system for some customer requirements. The GA-ASI Advanced Cockpit GCS (ACGCS) has also been modified to meet approval requirements, with some hardware changes required for flight-critical functions characteristic of today’s modern business aircraft.
 
Winged Performance Enhancements 
In developing SkyGuardian, GA-ASI has also improved the performance and capabilities of the baseline air vehicle. Longer span wings fitted with winglets allow nearly 1,360 kg (3,000 lb) of additional fuel to be carried internally, while endurance in an ISR unarmed configuration has risen from 27 to more than 40 hours to enable the aircraft’s use in more numerous roles and in difficult-to-reach regions.
 
In addition, the new wings have extra hard points, raising the total number of external stores/payload-carrying stations to nine (four under each wing and one under the centreline). The SkyGuardian also has a slightly lengthened fuselage that creates space for the installation of the DRR. 
 
Although SkyGuardian is fitted with Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) and Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) II as standard, the DRR is catered for as an option to provide a detect-and-avoid capability in a non-cooperative environment. In all, the SkyGuardian offers unmatched persistence, versatility and cost-effectiveness across a broad spectrum of military requirements.
 
Lynx Multi-mode Radar
Being one of the world’s leading companies in the development of sensors and sensor technology, GA-ASI has amongst its portfolio the Lynx Multi-Mode Radar, which has been fitted not only to Predator A and Predator B RPAS but to manned platforms. Weighing less than 37 kg, Lynx delivers photographic-quality SAR imagery in a compact package. 
The new SeaGuardian will carry the Lynx Multi-Mode Radar that is optimised for over land Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance requirements, including border protection, potential humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. 
 
The unique functionality of the design allows SkyGuardian to be fitted with a maritime radar when needed to become a SeaGuardian. Here the radar can be removed as needed to fulfil the multi-role single solution philosophy.
 
Operating in Ku-band, Lynx provides broad-area stripmap coverage out to a range of more than 80 km, with a high-resolution spot capability operating to an exceptionally fine resolution. The radar also has a Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI) mode that exploits the Doppler effect to detect and track moving vehicles out to a range of 23 km, offering arc and spot scan capabilities and the possibility to cross-cue other sensors. 
 
Lynx also contains dedicated littoral search and imaging modes including Maritime Wide Area Search (MWAS), ISAR and Maritime Moving Target Indicator (MMTI). In addition, Lynx incorporates a change detection capability that can be integrated with GA-ASI’s Claw sensor payload control and analysis software.
 
Due Regard Radar
One crucial attribute for RPAS operating in non-segregated airspace is their ability to navigate safely through the sky without endangering other aircraft and so resolve potential conflicts reliably as they develop. Thanks to its Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) and Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B), RPAS meet a cooperative detect-and-avoid requirement and highlighting that not all aircraft are fitted with these systems. 
 
A non-cooperative detect-and-avoid system is required that is wholly adequate to replace a pilot’s eyes. This requirement has led to GA-ASI developing the Due Regard Radar (DRR), which presents information through the Ground Control Station (GCS).
 
DRR was first tested aboard NASA’s Ikhana RPAS, a Predator B used for trials and research programmes, and more recently on a CBP Guardian. The system employs an X-band Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar in the nose, integrated with the TCAS system, ensuring that it is able to track small aircraft such as gliders and ultralights.
 
With a detection range against small aircraft of more than 10 nautical miles, DRR allows appropriate avoiding actions to be taken long before a potential conflict becomes critical. The system also allows a pilot to monitor automatic conflict resolutions generated by the TCAS system and override them where necessary.
 
Reference Text/Photo: www.ga-asi.com
 

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