General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) and Raytheon Deutschland GmbH tested an electronic warfare payload on an MQ-9 Reaper.

Integrated into a gondola that can be loaded under the MALE (Medium Altitude, Long Endurance) MQ-9 Reaper (Predator B) drone, the ARDS (Advanced Radar Detection System) payload can be used to detect and locate radar emissions.

The ARDS is equipped with a totally digital radar emission tracking system. The system is already operational on the Tornado of the German Air Force.

Raytheon’s digital Advanced Radar Detection System (ARDS) sensor was carried in a wing-mounted pod on the UAV for the trials.

ARDS has been tested on the Gray Butte radar test range in California. The pod embedded on a Reaper has been used to detect terrestrial radar systems. The tests made it possible in particular to evaluate the speed of treatment of the ARDS and the precision of the geolocation of the radars.

According to General Atomics the system is offered for marketing in Europe and to other partners around the world. The integration of an electronic warfare payload on the Reaper is expected by several UAV users including France.