US'' intelligent UAV ''Grim Reaper'' takes defence aviation to new levels

It''s called the ''Reaper'' but the prefix ''Grim'' would have better described the MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the US Air Force''s new hunter-killer UAV. It is larger and more powerful than the more appropriately named MQ-1 Predator, is designed to go after time-sensitive targets with persistence and precision, and destroy or disable them with 500-pound smart bombs and Hellfire missiles.

A powerful 900-horsepower turbo-prop engine, compared to the Predator''s modest 119-horsepower engine, powers the Reaper. It has a 64-foot wingspan and carries more than 15 times the ordnance of the Predator, flying at almost three times the Predator''s cruise speed. It needs all of that power and performance, because this set of wings is taking lives and obliterating targets, not just taking pictures.

The Reaper represents a significant evolution in UAV technology and deployment. It marks a move from UAVs being primarily in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance roles, to a true hunter-killer role. The key, say its proponents, is not just keeping pilots out of harm''s way. For, inherent to UAVs is persistence; the Reaper can stay airborne for up to 14 hours fully loaded.

So how close are we to deploying complete UAV squadrons that can blow apart entire cities without the loss of even one airman''s life? Closer than we think (See: UAVs can be programmed to attack in Kamikaze swarm waves, say Technion scientists).

What about UAV bombers? Would it be possible to design an unmanned, radio-controlled version of a B1 bomber, capable of flight halfway around the globe to deliver an even higher payload of bombs, thanks to the extra space created by the absence of a flying crew, onboard lavatory and sleeping quarters?

Dare we think about UAV commercial airliners? They would be hijack proof; the cockpit would be a sealed pod with no humans to coerce or threaten. Would it have a talking computer ''pilot'' like ''Hal'' from 2001: A Space Odyssey? What about flight attendants? The possibilities boggle the imagination.