Army's Elite Night Stalkers Quietly Stood Up A New Unit Ahead Of Getting New Drones - earlier model MQ-1C with components of a wide area persistent surveillance system mounted in pods underneath each wing.jpg ...

more at
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone...ing-new-drones

For the first time in nearly a decade, the U.S. Army’s elite 160th Special
Operations Aviation Regiment has added a new unit to its ranks. The creation of
the additional separate company comes as the Regiment, also known as the Night
Stalkers, which is best known for providing premier special operations
helicopter support for U.S. special operators, is expanding its drone
capabilities.

On Aug. 16, 2018, Company F, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment stood up
at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, according to an order from U.S. Army Special
Operations Command (USASOC), which we obtained via the Freedom of Information
Act. Fort Campbell is already home to the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 160th,
as well as the Regiment’s headquarters. The remaining 3rd and 4th Battalions are
based at Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia and Joint Base Lewis-McChord in
Washington, respectively.

.....

The GE-ER’s maximum gross takeoff weight is 600 pounds greater, primarily due to
its more powerful Lycoming DEL-120 Heavy Fuel Engine (HFE). It also has a deeper
fuselage that can accommodate 50 percent more fuel and a payload bay that is 50
percent larger. This means the GE-ER can stay aloft for more than 40 hours,
almost an entire extra day compared to the earlier MQ-1Cs, while also carrying a
more robust suite of sensors and weaponry.

It’s easy to spot the new variant from the new winglets on the end of each wing
and the relocation of the vertical mount with data link antenna on top from the
middle of the fuselage to the rear. The added endurance of the MQ-1Cs will allow
a single platoon of three of the drones to perform persistent surveillance of a
particular area 24 hours a day without interruption, according to the latest
annual DOT&E report.

The extra internal space in the upgraded model will also make it easier to
integrate new sensor systems or other payloads, such as electronic warfare
systems, as they become available in the future. The Army is already buying
signals intelligence packages for its existing Gray Eagles, as well.

It will also have improved performance with various underwing stores. As with
the earlier MQ-1Cs, it can carry up to four AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, as well
as wide-area persistent surveillance systems, electronic warfare packages, and
more. The Army is also exploring adding dispenser pods that can each carry a
dozen of Northrop Grumman's Hatchet precision-guided miniature munitions to the
Gray Eagle’s arsenal, which you can read about in more detail here.


much more at
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone...ing-new-drones

didn't realize some of our drones were so large...the drone pic of earlier
model MQ-1C with a technician seems bigger than a lot of Army aircraft...sheesh





*