Banglar Bir
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Wednesday, November 16, 2016
By: Defence News - Space Daily
India's air force has asked Washington about acquiring around 100 armed Predator C Avenger aircraft, which the United States has used to carry out strikes against Islamist militants in Pakistan's northwest and neighbouring Afghanistan.
The U.S. has successfully completed the first flight of a turbojet-powered unmanned aerial vehicle by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.
The big question now is whether India be offered the Avenger UAV with a new Jet powered Engine?
The aircraft is called the Avenger Extended Range, a variant of the company's jet-powered Predator C Avenger, which has accumulated over 13,000 flight hours to date.
GA-ASI said the flight occurred late last month at its Gray Butte Flight Operations Facility in Palmdale, Calif.
"The first flight of Avenger ER is a significant achievement in the evolution of Predator C's proven performance and multi-mission capability," said Linden Blue, GA-ASI's chief executive officer. "The increased endurance and high payload capacity will deliver tremendous capability to our customers, who need persistent situational awareness and strike mission affordability."
The aircraft has a wingspan of 76 feet and carries 2,200 pounds of additional fuel. Its flight endurance is 20 hours, five more than the legacy Avenger. The remotely piloted aircraft also features a wide array of sensors and weapons payloads to perform ISR and ground support missions.
India is in talks with the United States to purchase 40 Predator surveillance drones, officials said, a possible first step towards acquiring the Avenger UAV, a development likely to annoy Pakistan to the core.