'Mohave' UAV takes off from Dokdo-class deck at 90m
Navy: "Reflected in next ship designs including light aircraft carriers"
For the first time, a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (drone with fixed wings) took off from a naval ship. Fixed-wing UAVs, which require a long runway, have so far only been operated on land. This is the first time a fixed-wing UAV has taken off from a naval vessel.
According to the Navy on the 13th, a combat experiment was conducted the previous day with a fixed-wing UAV taking off from the flight deck (runway) of the large transport ship Dokdo (LPH). Combat experiments refer to tests repeatedly conducted during the process of creating new combat doctrines. The UAV participating in the experiment was a prototype called ‘Mojave’. Mojave was first unveiled in December 2021 as a drone to replace the ‘MQ-9 Reaper’. The manufacturer is the American company General Atomics (GA-ASI).
Deployment of Next-Generation Air Assassin Prototype
It is 9 meters long with a wingspan of 16 meters and can carry about 10 missiles weighing up to 1.6 tons. It can be equipped with up to 16 Hellfire anti-tank missiles capable of destroying enemy tanks up to 8 km away. It is also equipped with electro-optical cameras, synthetic aperture radar (SAR), ground target designators, and signal intelligence collection equipment, enabling it to perform various surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The Mojave that participated in this combat experiment has a wingspan of 16 meters and a length of 9 meters. It can reach up to 10,000 feet and has a maximum flight time of 3 hours and 30 minutes.
Equipped with About 10 Missiles to Carry Out Missions
Mojave can take off and land over short distances, making it capable of flying from a ship rather than land. The takeoff distance for the Gray Eagle unmanned attack aircraft is 850 to 1,200 meters, and the landing distance is 1,000 to 1,200 meters. In contrast, Mojave’s takeoff and landing distances are only about one-fifth to one-twelfth of those of the Gray Eagle. The U.S. military anticipates that it can be operated from a 40,000-ton amphibious assault ship and used in future U.S. expeditionary combat, maritime operations, and special operations support.
Short Takeoff and Landing Distance Enables Expeditionary Combat
On that day, Mojave took off after a roughly 100-meter run on the flight deck. The flight deck of the Dokdo is 199 meters long. Mojave flew over the East Sea for about an hour. According to the plan, control of the UAV was transferred from the Dokdo to the Naval Air Command, and the UAV landed on the runway at the Naval Air Command in Pohang, Gyeongbuk. The Mojave was piloted by a General Atomics official, not the Navy.
This combat experiment was conducted to derive the optimal ship design and necessary technologies for operating fixed-wing UAVs. It is part of efforts to establish a manned-unmanned combined combat system based on artificial intelligence (AI).
The Navy stated, "We will develop the concept of UAV operation from ships to strengthen cooperative operations with manned maritime patrol aircraft."
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