In the US, they found a possible replacement for the MQ-9 Reaper drones. According to Aviation Week, Northrop Grumman presented a project of a promising SG-2 strike drone.
According to the publication, the company plans to create a new drone based on the X-47B UCAS-D deck vehicle, which the American company was developing in the first half of the 2010s. For this, a reduced glider of the deck apparatus will be taken as a basis.. The drone will receive a slightly elongated wing with a narrow chord.
Among the parameters of the future drone, its mass was announced – 9,1 tons, as well as flight range, declared in 1,9 thousands of kilometers.
It is assumed, that the new drone will operate autonomously, without operator participation. The drone will conduct reconnaissance itself, find targets and identify them, then strike. Besides, another function of the new drone will be electronic warfare. According to the developers, the SG-2 will be able to unite in groups with other similar devices.
Northrop Grumman develops DA / RC systems to control new drones (Distributed Recovery/Responsive Control), responsible for the automatic management of drone groups and the distribution of tasks. Computer tests have shown, what DA / RC is capable of driving 100 unmanned vehicles simultaneously. Nothing is known about practical tests of the system.
New drone must meet US Air Force requirements, ie. be autonomous with high intelligence on board, have open architecture systems and be relatively cheap.
used photos:Northrop Grumman
