Okay, no more MQ-X talk about the RQ-170 Sentinel.
I interviewed USAF Col Eric Mathewson this morning after he spoke on a panel for an Army unmanned aircraft system (UAS) conference. Mathewson is the USAF's director of the UAS task force. His job is to bet the ball rolling on the MQ-X program, which could start replacing Predators and Reapers in a few years with a more automated and flexible platform.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) has unveiled a stealthy jet-powered UAS called Avenger in anticipation of an MQ-X requirement. The RQ-170 also is a stealthy jet-powered UAV. So it seems fair to ask Mathewson if MQ-X is really necessary if the RQ-170 can do the job.
Surprisingly, Mathewson answered my question very clearly. Although he couldn't speak about the RQ-170's abilities, the aircraft is "different" than what the USAF desires for a next-generation platform. "MQ-X is completely separate from RQ-170," he said. For one thing, the USAF isn't sure how much stealth it needs for MQ-X.
The USAF isn't even sure yet if MQ-X should be powered by a jet or a turboprop, he said. That detail will be decided in the year-long analysis of alternatives that is set to begin soon. Mathewson openly entertained the idea of developing an aircraft that could swap out jet and turboprop engines.
But ... is that even possible? I asked.
"I don't know. I'm not engineer. You ask me, and I say we can do anything. But you have to push the envelope," Mathewson said.
Back on the RQ-170, something about the revelation of a secretly-developed aircraft turns adults into school kids, yours truly included. "Isn't it cool?" Mathewson asked.
I agreed. But I noted it would be even cooler if the USAF would release a clear photo of the Sentinel. All we have in the public domain are grainy shots taken from a distance, like a tabloid shot of a celebrity on holiday with their children.
"Have you asked public affairs?" he suggested.
Yes.
"What did they say?"
No.
Alas, Mathewson either couldn't help, or wasn't inclined. On a hunch, I sent an email to the USAF press desk, re-submitting my request for a publishable photo of the Sentinel.
More disappointment.
"At this time the AF is not releasing any photography of the RQ-170," came the quick reply by email.
Oh, well. Maybe next week.
Meanwhile, check out Secret Defense blog's latest post (Google translated version). The author asks whether Lockheed's designers may have been by the Horton Ho229. It seems highly implausible to me, but worth a read.
I interviewed USAF Col Eric Mathewson this morning after he spoke on a panel for an Army unmanned aircraft system (UAS) conference. Mathewson is the USAF's director of the UAS task force. His job is to bet the ball rolling on the MQ-X program, which could start replacing Predators and Reapers in a few years with a more automated and flexible platform.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) has unveiled a stealthy jet-powered UAS called Avenger in anticipation of an MQ-X requirement. The RQ-170 also is a stealthy jet-powered UAV. So it seems fair to ask Mathewson if MQ-X is really necessary if the RQ-170 can do the job.
Surprisingly, Mathewson answered my question very clearly. Although he couldn't speak about the RQ-170's abilities, the aircraft is "different" than what the USAF desires for a next-generation platform. "MQ-X is completely separate from RQ-170," he said. For one thing, the USAF isn't sure how much stealth it needs for MQ-X.
The USAF isn't even sure yet if MQ-X should be powered by a jet or a turboprop, he said. That detail will be decided in the year-long analysis of alternatives that is set to begin soon. Mathewson openly entertained the idea of developing an aircraft that could swap out jet and turboprop engines.
But ... is that even possible? I asked.
"I don't know. I'm not engineer. You ask me, and I say we can do anything. But you have to push the envelope," Mathewson said.
Back on the RQ-170, something about the revelation of a secretly-developed aircraft turns adults into school kids, yours truly included. "Isn't it cool?" Mathewson asked.
I agreed. But I noted it would be even cooler if the USAF would release a clear photo of the Sentinel. All we have in the public domain are grainy shots taken from a distance, like a tabloid shot of a celebrity on holiday with their children.
"Have you asked public affairs?" he suggested.
Yes.
"What did they say?"
No.
Alas, Mathewson either couldn't help, or wasn't inclined. On a hunch, I sent an email to the USAF press desk, re-submitting my request for a publishable photo of the Sentinel.
More disappointment.
"At this time the AF is not releasing any photography of the RQ-170," came the quick reply by email.
Oh, well. Maybe next week.
Meanwhile, check out Secret Defense blog's latest post (Google translated version). The author asks whether Lockheed's designers may have been by the Horton Ho229. It seems highly implausible to me, but worth a read.
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