Overview
This entry covers a gallery image that appears to show two surveillance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on display, possibly at a military exhibition, test facility, or demonstration event. The specific models, programme attribution, and date cannot be verified from the image alone.
The image is consistent with the wide variety of surveillance UAVs developed and deployed by the US military and intelligence communities since the 1990s. Surveillance UAVs range from small hand-launched systems used by infantry units to large high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) systems used for strategic reconnaissance.
Categories of Surveillance UAVs
Surveillance UAVs are typically categorised by altitude, endurance, and size:
High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE): UAVs that operate above 50,000 feet for more than 24 hours. Examples include the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk and the General Atomics RQ-1/MQ-1 Predator (though Predator is technically a MALE UAV). HALE UAVs provide persistent surveillance over large areas.
Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE): UAVs that operate at 10,000-30,000 feet for 12-24 hours. Examples include the General Atomics MQ-1 Predator, MQ-9 Reaper, and MQ-1C Gray Eagle. MALE UAVs are the workhorses of modern military ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) operations.
Tactical UAVs: UAVs that operate at lower altitudes with shorter endurance (1-6 hours), typically launched by catapult or hand. Examples include the AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven, the AAI RQ-7 Shadow, and the Insitu ScanEagle. Tactical UAVs provide ISR support at the unit level.
Small UAVs (SUAV): UAVs that are small enough to be carried by a single person and launched by hand. Examples include the AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven and the Prox Dynamics PD-100 Black Hornet. SUAVs provide immediate ISR support to individual soldiers or small units.
US Surveillance UAV Programmes
The United States has developed and deployed numerous surveillance UAVs:
- RQ-4 Global Hawk (Northrop Grumman): HALE UAV for strategic reconnaissance.
- MQ-9 Reaper (General Atomics): MALE UAV for armed reconnaissance and strike.
- RQ-7 Shadow (AAI/Textron): Tactical UAV for Army brigade-level ISR.
- RQ-11 Raven (AeroVironment): Small UAV for infantry-level ISR.
- ScanEagle (Insitu/Boeing): Small UAV for maritime and land-based ISR.
- RQ-170 Sentinel (Lockheed Martin): Stealthy reconnaissance UAV (classified programme).
- RQ-180 (Northrop Grumman): Stealthy HALE reconnaissance UAV (reported but not officially acknowledged).
Declassification and Provenance
The gallery image is from a legacy compilation whose CIA-P2 catalog number is a legacy identifier and does not establish CIA authorship, declassification, or provenance. The image's presence in the compilation does not constitute evidence that the depicted UAVs are CIA-operated, classified programmes, or specific named systems.
The image should be treated as an unverified photograph of two surveillance UAVs of unknown model and programme attribution.
References
- Ehrhard, Thomas. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in the United States Armed Services. RAND Corporation.
- Congressional Research Service. "U.S. Unmanned Aerial Systems." CRS reports.
- Foss, Christopher F. Jane's Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Targets. Jane's Information Group.
- Department of Defense. "Unmanned Systems Integrated Roadmap." DoD publications.