March 30, 2001 X-Press Issue

Volume 43 Issue 3 Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California March 30, 2001

Development flights continue

Photo Courtesy of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.

The successful first flight of the Predator B Feb. 2.

Predator B developmental flights are expected to continue this month to follow up on the successful Feb. 2 first flight of this prototype, which is also the forerunner of the longer wing span Altair variant that is expected to be built for NASA.

The next developmental flights will be based at the same facility as the first flight – General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) flight-test facility at El Mirage, Calif. Ground vibration tests will preceed the next research flight.

Predator B is 40 percent larger than the RQ-1A Predator remotely-piloted aerial vehicle that GA-ASI is producing for the U.S. Air Force.

John Hicks, Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) project manager, said the aircraft performed well and exhibited smooth operation on the first flight.

Predator B and Altair development is funded jointly by NASA, under ERAST, and GA-ASI.

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