Canadian Warplanes 8: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc CU-163 Altair unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc CU-163 Altair

(Paul Ridgeway, USAF Photo)

Based on Predator B, CU-163 Altair (Serial No. 163301) was leased from August to September 2004, for tests over Baffin Island and Eastern Canada, as part of Exercise ALIX (Atlantic Littoral Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance ISR Experiment ). 163301 was the first UAV operated by the Canadian forces in the Arctic. It flew from 5 Wing, CFB Goose Bay, Newfoundland.

The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (sometimes called Predator B) is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) primarily for the United States Air Force (USAF). The MQ-9 and other UAVs are referred to as Remotely Piloted Vehicles/Aircraft (RPV/RPA) by the USAF to indicate their human ground controllers. The MQ-9 is the first hunter-killer UAV designed for long-endurance, high-altitude surveillance.

(US Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson)

MQ-9 Reaper over Afghanistan with four Hellfire missiles and two 500lb bombs, 2007.