Army Killer Drone Takes First Shots in Combat

Warrior – Evolving Gnat Genera from General Atomics
The UAV component of TF ODIN is the ‘Warrior Alpha’, an development of the earlier I-GNAT with features of the larger Predator A (including Rotax 914 piston engine and the bulbous dome on the upper nose for satellite uplinks). Another Predator feature are optional mountings for the Hellfire missile. In effect, General Atomics has re-evolved Predator A in a cheaper, less complex I-GNAT package. Image from Canadian American Strategic Review

From The Danger Room:

The CIA's drone strikes in Pakistan may be getting all the press, but the Army is also deploying a deadly new pilotless aircraft, the Warrior-Alpha.

Late last month, a Warrior-Alpha belonging to the Army's Task Force ODIN -- a once-classified unit that combines drones, manned surveillance planes, helicopters, and video downlinks to hunt, track and kill roadside bomb cells -- was the first to fire missiles in combat. According to a news release from Multi-National Division - North, the drone hit insurgents while they were engaged with coalition forces on Feb. 23 in Diyala Province. "We neutralized both targets," the drone's operator said.

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My Comment: An evolution in the UAV fleet. This unmanned vehicle will make a difference in Afghanistan.