MQ-9 Reaper on "full auto" at Gray Butte Flight Operations Facility

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI), a leading manufacturer of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA), tactical reconnaissance radars, and electro-optic surveillance systems, today announced that its Predator® B/MQ-9 Reaper RPA has successfully completed 106 full-stop Automatic Takeoff and Landing Capability (ATLC) landings, a first for the multi-mission aircraft. The milestone was first achieved with four ATLC landings on June 27 at the company’s Gray Butte Flight Operations Facility in Palmdale, Calif.

www.ga-asi.com...

GA desert facilities

Speaking of the MQ-9, General Atomics has received a sole source contract to equip the Reaper with SIGINT gear. Solicitation FA8620-10-G-3038-0027

FA8620-10-G-3038 0027 This is a pre-solicitation notice. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC), Medium Altitude UAS Division, AFLCMC /WIIK intends to award a contract on a sole source basis to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. to integrate and test Airborne Signals Intelligence Payload for the MQ-9. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. General Atomics ASI is the sole designer, developer, and manufacturer of the Predator/Reaper system and is the only firm that possesses the necessary knowledge, experience and technical data required to perform these efforts.

Eye AND Ear in the sky.

Very interesting.

The future is upon us

FA4890-10-R-0009 is a solicitation for a maintenance and operation contract for RPA (Remotely Piloted Aircraft). What is interesting is it doesn't name all the bases. Now if the bases are foreign, I suppose that makes sense. But my interpretation is the bases are domestic.

In document "N" under CONUS requirements:

1.6 FY17: Location Type Average Sorties/Day ASD Hrs/Month Aircraft GCS GDT
Creech AFB MQ-1/9 8 12 1584 14 6 6 Nellis AFB MQ-1/9 0 4*** 0
Grand Forks AFB MQ-1 2 12 528 6 2*** 3
Whiteman AFB MQ-1 0 6** 0
Ellsworth AFB MQ-1/9 0 6** 0
Base Z MQ-1/9 2 12 528 8 6** 3
Base D1 MQ-1/9 2 12 528 8 6** 3
Base D2 MQ-1/9 2 12 528 8 6** 3
Base D3 MQ-1/9 2 12 528 8 6** 3
Base A MQ-1/9 2 12 528 6 2** 2*** 3
Base B MQ-1/9 2 12 528 6 2** 2*** 3
Base C MQ-1/9 2 12 528 6 2** 2*** 3
Base D MQ-1/9 2 12 528 6 2** 2*** 3
Base E MQ-1/9 2 12 528 6 2** 2*** 3
Base F MQ-1/9 2 12 528 6 2** 2*** 3
** GCS support 24/7 ***GCS support 16/5

Columns probably won't line up, but you can go to fbo.gov and get the document yourself. I picked FY17, but even FY12 has two unnamed bases. I suppose these could be TBD bases, or they are bases that they rather not name.

There are 41 companies listed as interested vendors. The obvious suspects are there, such as Lockheed, L-3 and SAIC. The some of the list is probably worth investigation.

techcrewllc.us...

This vendor sounds interesting.
galaxyblimps.com...

Stealth
For surveillance applications our blimp can be custom painted to subdue the blimp such that it would be very difficult to be seen from the ground. We also offer a whisper quiet muffler system that cannot be heard above 500 feet altitude.
Tracking Systems
Our 40 and 50 foot blimps can carry FLIR type camera systems with auto tracking and GPS positioning systems. This allows the blimp to track moving targets a report on their exact position.

aocwins.com...

I thought these guys made spark plugs

www.aeroscraft.com...#/products/4565657678

cttnow.com...

reply to post by gariac


Bases A-Z are most likely overseas. Bases X, Y, and Z are in the middle east. I wont say where but I've been to X and Y. We used to have to refer to them by their code name instead of the actual base for a long time at the start of Enduring Freedom. Base X particuarly because the host country didn't want anyone knowing we were flying out of there.