General Atomics · Drones · 1995
General Atomics' pioneering medium-altitude, long-endurance drone - the aircraft that defined armed ISR. Evolved from Abraham Karem's Amber/Gnat, the Predator entered US service in the mid-1990s as the RQ-1 reconnaissance platform and later, as the armed MQ-1, became the archetype of the persistent hunter-killer UAV. A composite, mid-wing pusher (48.7 ft / 14.8 m span, 8.2 m long, ~1,020 kg max takeoff weight) powered by a turbocharged Rotax 914 piston engine, it loitered 14-24 hours at up to ~25,000 ft with a ~1,250 km operational range, cruising around 135 km/h. It carried the AN/AAS-52 Multi-spectral Targeting System (EO/IR), synthetic aperture radar and a nose camera, relaying full-motion video over a satellite datalink to a ground station, and could mount precision-guided munitions on two hardpoints. Roughly 360 were built (unit cost ~$4M); the USAF retired the type from front-line service in 2018, though its lineage continues in the MQ-1C Gray Eagle and MQ-9 Reaper.
Price on application
View full interactive profile, comparisons & videos → Check price on Amazon →| Category | Drones |
| Sub-type | MALE UAV (armed ISR) |
| Status | Retired |
| Year | 1995 |
| Origin | USA |
| Weight | 1020 kg |
| Payload | 204 kg |
| Max range | 1,240 km km |
| Use cases | ISR, Armed reconnaissance, Precision strike |
| Made in | USA |