Credit
Lt. Col. Leslie Pratt · Public domain · Resized · Public domain · Source ↗ · Modified
FORCETALLY
Loading the evidence…
Preparing your view.
Preparing your view.
BDrones & UAVs
Maritime unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aerial vehicle and patrol aircraft
At a glance
Measured figures
Length
Single source27 ft 0 in (8.23 m)[source]
MQ-4C · Length
Single sourceConfiguration
| Specification | General Atomics MQ-1 Predator | Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton |
|---|---|---|
| Crew | 0, 3 on ground out of theater (remote pilot, sensor operator, and intelligence analyst), with in-theater ground handling crew[source] | Unmanned – 4 personnel fly aircraft from ground station[source] |
| Type | Remote piloted aircraft/ unmanned combat aerial vehicle[source] | Maritime unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aerial vehicle and patrol aircraft[source] |
| National origin | United States[source] | United States[source] |
| Manufacturer | General Atomics Aeronautical Systems |
47 ft 7 in (14.5 m)[source]
1 × Rotax 914F 4-cylinder air-cooled turbocharged horizontally-opposed piston engine
Single source1 × Rotax 914F 4-cylinder air-cooled turbocharged horizontally-opposed piston engine, 115 hp (86 kW)[source]
MQ-4C · 1 × Rolls-Royce AE 3007 turbofan engine thrust
Single source1 × Rolls-Royce AE 3007 turbofan engine, 6,495–8,917 lbf (28.89–39.66 kN) thrust[source]
Wing area
Single source123.3 sq ft (11.45 m 2 )[source]
Bars compare reported quantities only. A larger figure does not make a system better; configurations and test conditions differ.
Northrop Grumman[source] |
| Status | In limited service[source] | Limited service[source] |
|---|
| Primary users | United States Air Force (retired) Italian Air Force (retired) Turkish Air Force Royal Moroccan Air Force[source] | United States Navy Royal Australian Air Force[source] |
|---|
| Number built | 360 (285 RQ-1, 75 MQ-1)[source] | US: 68 (planned) + 2 prototypes Australia: 3 delivered out of 4 ordered[source] |
|---|
| Manufactured | 1995–2018[source] | 48 as of 2024[source] |
|---|
| Introduction date | 1 July 1995[source] | May 2018[source] |
|---|
| First flight | 3 July 1994[source] | 22 May 2013 ( 2013-05-22 )[source] |
|---|
| Retired | 9 March 2018 (USAF)[source] | — |
|---|
| Developed from | General Atomics Gnat[source] | Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk[source] |
|---|
| Variant | General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle[source] | — |
|---|
| Developed into | General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper[source] | — |
|---|
| Fuel capacity | 851 lb (387 kg)[source] | — |
|---|
| Hardpoints | 2 , with provisions to carry combinations of: Missiles: 2 × AGM-114 Hellfire (MQ-1B) 4 × Air-to-Air Stinger (ATAS) (MQ-1B) 6 × AGM-176 Griffin air-to-surface missiles[source] | — |
|---|
| Aspect ratio | 19[source] | — |
|---|
| Propellers | 2-bladed constant-speed pusher propeller[source] | — |
|---|
| Stall speed | 54 kn (62 mph, 100 km/h)[source] | — |
|---|
| Missiles | 2 × AGM-114 Hellfire (MQ-1B) 4 × Air-to-Air Stinger (ATAS) (MQ-1B) 6 × AGM-176 Griffin air-to-surface missiles[source] | — |
|---|
| Alternative designation | — | MQ-4C Triton[source] |
|---|