USAF science panel recommends MQ-9 and RQ-4 improvement plan

A panel of military scientists is briefing senior US Air Force leaders on ways to make the defenceless General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper and Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk more useful in a war against a sophisticated enemy that has the ability to hunt and kill aircraft.

The MQ-9 and RQ-4 unmanned air vehicles were purchased in the 2000s when the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq were at their peak. However, as they were operating in uncontested airspace, they were not equipped with the kind of defensive aids and self-protection systems typical of manned fighter aircraft. Read more

Source: www.uasvision.com