The Predator Drone: A Pioneering Force in Modern Warfare

The Predator drone, officially known as the MQ-1 Predator, was an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by General Atomics. The remotely piloted aircraft was predominantly used by the United States Air Force, Navy and other allied forces for various purposes, primarily focused on reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition.

One of its defining features was remote operation. The remotely piloted aircraft systems were operated from ground control stations, allowing operators to pilot and manage the drone from a safe location, often thousands of miles away from where the aircraft was physically located.

Notably, the drone gained significant recognition for its involvement in armed, unmanned aerial missions in Afghanistan and Iraq in the early aughts.

The drone's primary mission was to gather intelligence through surveillance and reconnaissance tasks. Equipped with advanced cameras and sensors, the Predator could provide real-time imagery and data to military personnel on the ground. Some variants, like the MQ-1C Gray Eagle, were armed with missiles and other munitions, enabling them to conduct precision strikes against ground targets.

The Predator was also known for its ability to remain airborne for long durations, making it suitable for surveillance missions that required extended loitering times. The aircraft was versatile, too, and filled various roles, including border security, counter-terrorism efforts and support for ground troops in conflict zones.

Beyond military applications, it also found use in civilian contexts, such as border surveillance, disaster response and environmental monitoring.

After decades of service, the Predator fleet was officially retired in 2018. It was succeeded by more advanced UAVs like the MQ-9 Reaper, which offer similar capabilities but with improved performance and weaponry.

These Predator aircraft have been used by the United States and its allies for a wide range of military and security applications, including intelligence gathering, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeted strikes.

Let's take a look under the retired Predator drone's hood. A Rotax 914, four-cylinder, four-stroke, 101-horsepower engine — the same engine type commonly used on snowmobiles — turned the main drive shaft. The drive shaft rotated the Predator's two-blade, variable-pitch pusher propeller.

The rear-mounted propeller provided both drive and lift. The remote pilot altered the pitch of the blades to increase or decrease the altitude of the plane, which could reach speeds of up to 135 mph (120 kts).

Additional lift provided by the aircraft's 48.7-foot (14.8-meter) wingspan allowed the Predator to reach altitudes of up to 25,000 feet (7,620 meters). The slender fuselage and inverted-V tails helped the aircraft with stability, and a single rudder housed beneath the propeller steered the craft.

The fuselage of the Predator was a mixture of carbon and quartz fibers blended in a composite with Kevlar. Underneath the fuselage, the airframe was supported by a Nomex, foam and wood laminate that was pressed together in layers.

Between each layer of laminate, a sturdy fabric was sandwiched in to provide insulation to internal components. The rib work of the structure was built from a carbon/glass fiber tape and aluminum. The sensor housing and wheels were also aluminum.

The edges of the wings were titanium and dotted with microscopic weeping holes that allowed an ethylene glycol solution to seep out of internal reservoirs and breakdown ice that formed on the wings during flight.

Mechanical Systems

The Predator UAV used run-of-the-mill mechanical systems. A 3-kilowatt starter/alternator supplied the craft's electronics with power; this was supplemented with auxiliary battery power. Forward and aft fuel tanks housed rubberized fuel bladders that were easy to fill through gas caps located at the top of the fuselage.

An operator started the engine by attaching the umbilical cord of a Starter/Ground Power Cart to the aircraft's starter-control connector, located in the ground panel on the outside of the plane. An operator stopped the engine by hitting a kill switch just behind one of the wings on the side of the plane.

For the Engine

As an aircraft, the Predator UAV was little more than a super-fancy, remote-controlled plane. But this simple design lent itself well to the Predator's intended functions. Below, check out the placement of components:

In the next sections, we'll see how this unassuming aircraft used its special features to tilt the balance of combat.

The RQ-1 was the reconnaissance version of the Predator UAV. The letter "R" is the U.S. Defense Department signature for an aircraft designated for reconnaissance. "Q" is a designation for unmanned or automated weapons or vehicles.

The simple and lightweight design of the Predator's fuselage allowed it to carry a payload of up to 450 pounds (204 kg) in addition to the weight of its 100-gallon (378.5-liter) fuel tank.

This large fuel tank and the nice gas mileage afforded by the Predator's light weight were great assets for a reconnaissance aircraft. The Predator could stay in the air monitoring enemy positions for up to 24 hours, fully loaded.

The RQ-1 also featured some incredibly sophisticated monitoring equipment.

Every camera in the plane's forward bank could produce full-motion video and still-frame radar images.

The RQ-1 gave real-time imagery of the enemy position to a command post well before the first troops or vehicles arrived. This kind of information allowed field commanders to make quick and informed decisions about troop deployment, movements and enemy capabilities.

Of course, the greatest advantage of using the Predator was that it had all the advantages of a traditional reconnaissance sortie without ever exposing the pilot to a hostile environment.

The only thing better than having a robotic airplane assist forces in making decisions about how to fight a battle is to have a robotic airplane actually fight the battle for you.

That is where the Predator UAV MQ-1 Hunter/Killer came into play — replacing the camera array with the Multispectral Targeting System (MTS) and loading the Predator with two Hellfire missiles transformed this battlefield spotter into a deadly automated combatant.

The "M" in MQ-1 is the Defense Department designation for multipurpose aircraft; by adding the MTS and Hellfire missiles to the Predator, it truly became a multifunctional battle aircraft.

The MTS included the AGM-114 Hellfire missile targeting system, electro-optical infrared system, laser designator and laser illuminator. All of these components gave the Predator and its operators multiple ways to acquire a target in any combat environment.

The Predator fired a laser or infrared beam from the MTS ball located near the nose of the plane. This laser was used in two ways:

Sensors bundled in the MTS also calculated wind speed, direction and other battlefield variables to gather all of this data into a firing solution. This process was known as "painting the target."

Once a target was painted, the MQ-1 could unleash its own missiles to destroy the target or send the firing solution to other aircraft or ground forces so they could destroy it.

The battlefield effectiveness of the MQ-1 was tested in several conflicts, including those in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Yemen.

The Predators have flown into combat alongside manned warplanes, provided air support to ground forces and attacked areas where enemy air defenses were not fully suppressed.

They could also be used in areas traditionally too dangerous to send in manned aircraft, such as open ocean environments or biologically or chemically contaminated environments. And even loaded with the MTS, the Predator MQ-1 was capable of effective battlefield reconnaissance.

Perhaps the most infamous use for the combat version of the Predator was in stealthy aerial assassinations.

On February 7, 2002, the CIA used an armed Predator to attack and destroy a convoy of SUVs transporting suspected al-Qaeda terrorists. On November 3, 2002, the CIA used a Predator to launch a Hellfire missile into a car in Yemen, killing Qaed Senyan al-Harthi, the al-Qaeda leader thought to be responsible for the bombing of the USS Cole.

Though this application of the Predator was rare, none of these missions would have been possible using conventional methods, without risking the lives of U.S. troops.

According to the U.S. Defense Department, "The Predator [was] a system, not just an aircraft." This is because of the unique way the Predators were deployed and controlled.

A fully operational system consisted of four Predators (with sensors), a ground control station (GCS) that houses the pilots and sensor operators and a Predator primary satellite-link communication suite.

On the ground, there were the techs and support personnel normally associated with aircraft. The whole show took about 82 personnel to run successfully. This fully integrated team was capable of using the four aircraft for 24-hour surveillance within a 400-nautical-mile radius of the ground control station.

The Predator could run autonomously, executing simple missions such as reconnaissance on a program, or under the control of a crew. The crew of a single Predator UAV consisted of one pilot and two sensor operators. The pilot drove the aircraft using a standard flight stick and associated controls that transmitted commands over a C-Band line-of-sight data link.

When operations were beyond the range of the C-Band, a Ku-Band satellite link was used to relay commands and responses between a satellite and the aircraft. Onboard, the aircraft received orders via an L-3 Com satellite data link system. The pilots and crews used the images and radar received from the aircraft to make decisions about controlling the plane.

Predator aviators have described piloting the aircraft as flying an airplane while looking through a straw. This was quite a change from driving a conventional aircraft from the cockpit. Predator pilots had to rely on the onboard cameras to see what was going on around the plane. For the crew, it was a trade-off between the disadvantage of limited visibility and the definite plus of personal safety.

One of the greatest things about the Predator system was that the whole thing was fully transportable. The aircraft could be broken down into six pieces and transported in a huge crate called the coffin, which contained:

The largest component in the system was the GCS, which had wheels that allowed it to be rolled onto transports. The Predator primary satellite link consisted of a 20-foot (6.1-meter) satellite dish and support equipment, which could also be broken down.

The coffin, GCS and satellite link all fit in the cargo hold of a C-130 Hercules or C-141 Starlifter, which is how they were moved around from mission to mission. Once on site, a crew of four could reassemble a single Predator in under eight hours.

The flexibility and ease of transport designed into the system allowed personnel to rapidly deploy an entire four-aircraft Predator system anywhere in the world.

In 2018, the U.S. military made the strategic decision to retire the aging MQ-1 Predator drones due to technological advancements and evolving mission requirements. This transition was marked by the introduction of the MQ-9 Reaper, signifying a significant leap in UAV performance.

The MQ-9 Reaper made its debut in the early 2000s, representing a remarkable improvement over its predecessor. It boasts a higher maximum altitude, extended endurance and a larger payload capacity, equipping it to carry a broader array of sensors and munitions for a wide range of mission profiles.

Most notably, the Reaper features enhanced firepower, capable of deploying a variety of munitions, including Hellfire missiles and precision-guided bombs, making it a versatile platform for both intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) and combat missions.

With its extended operational range, the Reaper can cover vast areas and maintain station for prolonged periods, a pivotal capability for ISR and strike missions. The inclusion of advanced communication systems further enhanced connectivity with ground stations and other assets. Moreover, select Reaper variants are designed with stealth features, enhancing their survivability in hostile environments.

Several Reaper variants were developed to cater to specific mission requirements. Among these are the MQ-9A Reaper, the initial armed version, and the MQ-9B Reaper, featuring enhanced endurance and autonomous capabilities. Additionally, the MQ-9 SeaGuardian variant was adapted for maritime surveillance and patrol tasks, including coastal and maritime border monitoring.

The retirement and replacement of the MQ-1 Predators was driven by the imperative to adapt to emerging threats and evolving demands of modern warfare. While the MQ-1 Predators played a crucial role in the early era of UAV technology, the MQ-9 Reaper's substantial technological advancements in performance and firepower rendered it a more versatile and capable platform for contemporary military operations.

With the proliferation of remotely operated and automated combat units, the trend in military technology seems to be moving toward missions carried out by automated warriors, with the flesh-and-blood controllers battling safely from behind computer terminals.

This article was updated in conjunction with AI technology, then fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.