How the Predator works

How the Predator works.

There is plenty of information on the internet about the MQ-1 and other variants of this aircraft. Whether or not the information provided is completely accurate may be a different story entirely. This article covers the MQ-1 from nose to tails and everything in between in some detail. Of importance and relevance to USNY 605 is the multi-spectral targeting system or MTS sensor. The MTS is an exteroceptive sensor manufactured by Raytheon and has been through several iterations as a result of technology advancement and upgrades to the MQ-1 and other variants. (Valdes, 2015). This sensor is comprised of a turret that mounts on the underside of the aircraft. This ‘ball’ is gyro-stabilized and incorporates a day TV camera, a low light tv camera (LLTV), laser range detecting (LRD) and laser target marking (LTM) (Valdes, 2015). In addition to this sensor the system utilizes Hellfire missiles and uses the onboard computer to make calculations as to trajectory and distance to the target (Valdes, 2015). Other sensors bundled into the MTS also calculate wind speed, direction and other variables in order to fuse the data together for a firing solution (Valdes, 2015). The article also goes into some depth on locations and implementations of other sensors both exteroceptive and proprioceptive. The diagram provided by the author shows the locations of the Ku dish, synthetic aperture radar (SAR), global positioning system/inertial navigation system (GPS/INS) and other sensors that provide information to the system about the current condition of the environment (Valdes, 2015). A good example of this is the ice detection sensor located on the fuselage of the aircraft. A further example of the proprioceptive sensor is the angle of attack (AOA) sensor that provides the autopilot system important information as it relates to its positioning.

REFERENCES
Valdes, R. (2015). How the predator uav works. Retrieved from http://science.howstuffworks.com/predator.htm