General Atomics MQ-20 Avenger
A stealthy, jet-powered unmanned combat aerial vehicle for the U.S. military.
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The General Atomics MQ-20 Avenger, originally called the Predator C, is an unmanned combat aerial vehicle still in development, built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems for the U.S. military. It differs from the earlier MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper by using a turbofan engine and including stealth features like an internal weapons bay and an S-shaped exhaust to lower its infrared and radar visibility. The Avenger first flew on April 4, 2009.
The Avenger can carry the same weapons as the MQ-9, along with the Lynx synthetic aperture radar and a version of the F-35 Lightning II’s electro-optical targeting system, known as the Advanced Low-observable Embedded Reconnaissance Targeting (ALERT) system. It uses the same ground control stations and communications networks as the MQ-1 and MQ-9. The aircraft can also carry and release other unmanned systems, allowing it to stay at a safe distance while still penetrating defended areas.
Weapons testing
On November 28, 2023, an Avenger test released an Advanced Air-Launched Effects (A2LE) small unmanned aerial system from its internal weapons bay over Dugway Proving Ground, Utah.
Flight testing
The first prototype flew on April 4, 2009, from General Atomics’ Grey Butte Field Airport in Palmdale, California, taking off and landing without issues and being ready to fly again after refueling. Additional flights followed on April 13 and 14. A second prototype first flew on January 12, 2012, meeting all performance goals and refining the design for operational use. This second aircraft had a fuselage four feet longer to hold more payload and fuel, allowing it to carry up to 3,500 pounds of weapons internally and on wing hardpoints.
On February 15, 2012, the Air Force canceled its MQ-X program, which aimed to find a replacement for the MQ-9 Reaper. The Sea Avenger variant was also part of the Navy’s canceled Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) program. On November 15, 2012, an Avenger flew for three hours controlled by the General Atomics Advanced Cockpit Ground Control Station, which features a wrap-around visual display and multi-dimensional moving map to improve situational awareness and reduce pilot workload. This ground station has also flown an MQ-1 Predator and was planned to fly an MQ-9 Reaper as part of an Air Force effort to make all its remote piloted aircraft interoperable.
Background
The Avenger first flew on 4 April 2009 at General Atomics' Grey Butte Field Airport Flight Operations Facility in Palmdale, California. A second prototype, featuring a four-foot longer fuselage for larger payloads and more fuel, first flew on 12 January 2012. In July 2013, a third Avenger was scheduled to begin flight testing, and assembly of a fourth was expected by spring 2014. An extended-range variant with wings extended by 3.2 meters flew on 27 October 2016, adding about 1000 kg of fuel and extending endurance from 15 to 20 hours while reducing internal payload to 3000 lb.
The Avenger supports the same weapons as the MQ-9 and carries the Lynx synthetic aperture radar and a version of the F-35 Lightning II's electro-optical targeting system, called the Advanced Low-observable Embedded Reconnaissance Targeting (ALERT) system. It uses the same ground support infrastructure as the MQ-1 and MQ-9. The Avenger can also carry and deploy other unmanned systems. On 28 November 2023, an Avenger test deployed the Advanced Air-Launched Effects small uncrewed aerial system from its internal weapons bay over Dugway Proving Ground, Utah.
In December 2011, it was reported that the Air Force had ordered an Avenger for deployment to Afghanistan, but the Air Force later clarified it was purchased only as a test asset and was not sent there. After testing, the Air Force decided the Avenger offered only modest improvements over the MQ-9 and did not meet survivability and reliability requirements for contested environments. Following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, General Atomics pitched the Avenger to the Central Intelligence Agency as a better drone for missions requiring longer distances.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: General Atomics MQ-20 Avenger (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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