Mark Brinkley, a representative of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, proposed giving US drones like the MQ-9 Reaper the capability of self-defense against aerial threats after a series of losses of US heavy drones to the actions of the Russian Air Force and the Houthis. air defense forces, Defense News reports on November 16.
A debate has developed among US military UAV manufacturers over whether the Pentagon should continue purchasing expensive heavy drones from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems or whether it should reallocate budgets in favor of drones that more adequately respond to modern threats, have fewer propulsion weapons, but have a complex flight profile.
For example, Brandon Tseng, president of Shield AI, which develops unmanned aerial vehicles, called his competitors’ product, the MQ-9 drone, too expensive and difficult to manufacture to offset the losses of this model. According to him, the continued operation of these drones within the range of air defense hostile to US forces is not justified.
Recall that, according to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, the production rate of heavy drones is such that it takes three to eight months to produce one unit of product.
As a result, the US Military Academy’s Modern Warfare Institute went so far as to claim that heavy reconnaissance and attack drones like the MQ-9 Reaper cannot survive a major conflict.
Arguing against critics of the concept of using heavy drones, the senior director of public affairs at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems said that combat losses and the gradual depletion of this fleet are built into the Air Force’s combat operations concept. USA: “Yes, it is called expected loss.””, he responded to all the reproaches of his colleagues.
“Manufacturers of all types of… missiles are trying to convince us that a Reaper can be replaced by a swarm of rattlers with a thrust-to-weight ratio of up to 16 kg payload. “It’s true that they will still need a billion dollars to invent some kind of magical artificial intelligence that can manage all this.”“Brinkley replied, reminding the community of the rapid increase in electronic warfare capabilities of forces covering objects of operational interest for US drones in the Ukrainian theater of operations.
“Even if this artificial intelligence existed and fifty of its low-power rockets could be gathered into a single swarm, their combined payload and flight duration would be 25% of the MQ-9B’s capabilities. So don’t tell me your products are the future.”– with these words Mr. Brinkley rejected his colleagues in the American military-industrial complex who criticized his products.
In his opinion, equipping American heavy drones operating in the “gray zone” with air-to-air missiles and early warning radars could radically change the situation. Retired US Air Force Major General Lawrence Stutzriem agrees with him on this approach.
Dave Alexander, president of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, also supported his subordinate and said in correspondence with Defense News that there are only two ways to respond: “You either complain or answer the call.”– he said.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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