Pending availability of the MQ-1C Grey Eagle, the US Army has relied for its medium-range ISR on the relatively large 885-kg Northrop Grumman MQ-5B Hunter, of which around 50 air vehicles are still in use (here carrying Textron BLU-108 for test purposes). Basically an IAI design, the Hunter is operated from runways, and uses two heavy fuel engines to achieve an endurance of 21 hours at up to 18/000 ft. The Hunter has also been operated on a limited scale by the Belgian and French armies. The US Army plans to begin retiring MQ-5s in 2022.
展开▼
