A General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) divulgou um novo conceito de drone armado, chamado Defender, capaz de proteger ativos aéreos de alto valor (HVAAs), como aviões-tanque de reabastecimento aéreo e aeronaves de reconhecimento. Um outro é o Ghost Reaper, para gerenciamento no campo de batalha.
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDFtqRWr74E
China reveals rare glimpse of Wind Shadow UAVChina has provided a rare display of the stealthy, turbofan-powered Feng Ying (Wind Shadow) medium/high-altitude long endurance (MALE/HALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with new television footage of the air vehicle, jointly operated by the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) and its manufacturer Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), released by state broadcaster CCTV on 3 August.According a statement released by the CMA on the same day, a “high-altitude weather monitoring UAV” that was specifically configured for meteorological observation missions with a millimetre-wave radar and wing-mounted podded dispensers for aerosondes launched from Bo’ao Airport in the southern province of Hainan just as tropical storm Sinlaku was passing on 2 August.
https://theaviationist.com/2021/01/31/general-atomics-reveals-self-protection-pod-for-the-mq-9-reaper/https://theaviationist.com/2020/09/11/mq-9-reaper-drone-fires-live-aim-9x-block-ii-aam-at-bqm-167-target-drone-simulating-a-cruise-missile/ (notícia já com alguns meses)O Reaper, nas duas duas versões, está cada vez mais interessante. Radar AESA, pod de auto-protecção, lançador de sonoboias, AIM-9X , capacidade para 8 Hellfire.