Canadian problems with Reaper may not be what they seem. General Atomics Aeronautical has demonstrated high latitude operation from Grand Forks, North Dakota, and has integrated LEO satellite communications using a dish terminal. The USAF has a contract out to integrate an AESA satellite terminal, presumably along the lines of Starlinks Flatface terminal. At 30kft (10km) the temperature is
much the same in the Arctic as at mid latitudes. Landing and Ground
operations may be a problem in snow and ice but the Reaper has a STOL variant which has demonstrated dirt field operations, as well as carrier operations with the RN.
Canada has always gulped at the cost and the full package could be $5B, so this could be a face saving excuse. They also want indigenous produced sensor payload integrated. They also may want integration with the Canadian Space Agency Polar Communications and Weather satellite (PCW) mission. These satellites willl use highly eccentric elliptical orbits known as Molniya orbits, which have a long dwell time over high latitudes. They are suited for communications purposes in polar regions, in the same way that geostationary satellites are used for equatorial regions.
Canada Delays $3.6BN Reaper Buy Until Drones Can Operate in Arctic – UAS VISION
The Canadian military’s acquisition of medium altitude armed drones is being delayed to allow for more development work to enable the aircraft to operate in the Arctic region.
The Remotely Piloted Aircraft System project was to deliver a fleet of drones for the Royal Canadian Air Force that would be operational by 2025. That date has now shifted and the delivery of the first aircraft is expected in 2028.
“The Canadian RPAS configuration will require significant development work in order to address RCAF requirements, which differ from our allies’ requirements,”
said Department of National Defence spokesperson Andrée-Anne Poulin told Defense News.
Ottawa is focused on acquiring the General Atomics MQ-9B Reaper in a project budgeted with as much as 5 billion Canadian dollars ($3.6 billion). It’s hoping to have a contract in place by the end of this year or early next year.
The developmental work would require the integration of new systems on the MQ-9B, Poulin said in an email.
“For example, the need to operate at high northern latitudes, including in the Arctic, requires the use of satellites and aircraft antennas and communication components not previously integrated on the MQ-9,” she said. “Similarly, additional testing and qualification work will be required to ensure the RPAS can be operated and maintained in Canadian climatic conditions.”
Poulin said there is also some developmental effort required to integrate the Canadian-made WESCAM MX-20 EO/IR sensor onto the platform.
“Other examples include work required to develop a training solution tailored to RCAF requirements, and airworthiness certification required to support the RCAF concept of operations,” Poulin added.
Mark Brinkley, a spokesman for General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, declined to comment.
In September the U.S. State Department approved a potential Foreign Military Sale to Canada for 219 Hellfire missiles and other weapons and radars to be used by the MQ-9B. The proposed sale is worth an estimated $313 million.
Department of National Defence spokesman Andrew McKelvey said that FMS proposal was developed based on the current planned timelines for the RPAS project. The equipment and weapons expected to be provided through the FMS case will be delivered as and when required to support the RPAS integration, testing and production work that will be performed by General Atomics, he added.
Source: Defense News
Arctic poses communications challenges | esa.int
Communications satellites operating in geostationary Earth orbit do not cover the area of the Arctic. ... The Iridium satellite constellation can supply communications services in the Arctic, but there have been recorded cases of interruptions to the service which can last several minutes. It also does not provide the broadband communication that will be needed more and more with the development of human activities in the region, posing a challenge for the coming years. A range of projects, including the ARTES 1 ArctiCOM project, have investigated possible solutions to the Arctic communications problem.
Improving communications at high latitudes has been a particular goal for Canada, because so much of its territory lies in this region. The Canadian Space Agency has been developing the Polar Communications and Weather satellite (PCW) mission. Although the project is still being developed, it would comprise two satellites to serve Canada’s communication needs, as well as collecting information for the global research community on Arctic weather and climate.
Russia also has strong territorial reasons for wanting to improve communications in the Arctic and has proposed the Arktika satellites. Both Canada and Russia have consulted with commercial concerns in the Arctic to build better communications. In Russia, the space systems subsidiary of energy company Gazprom is developing the PolarStar satellite to provide broadband in the Arctic with a particular view to its own communications need.
Reaper UAV tests new SATCOM capability
GA-ASI and the US Air National Guard (ANG), with support from the USMC and USAF, have flight tested an MQ-9A Reaper UAV equipped with a low Earth orbit (LEO) SATCOM C2 system.
The flight took place on 22 December 2022. According to GA-ASI, the capability provides global coverage and connectivity that will support 'pole-to-pole' operations for the company's MALE UAS family, including the MQ-9B SkyGuardian/SeaGuardian and Gray Eagle, as well as the Reaper.S
CesiumAstro to develop satcom terminal for U.S. Air Force drone
CesiumAstro, based in Austin, Texas, announced June 16 it will develop an active electronically steered array (AESA) that will fly on an MQ-9 Reaper drone made by General Atomics. The terminal will connect the aircraft with Ka-band commercial broadband satellites in medium and low Earth orbits.
In the demonstration, planned for 2025, a Reaper aircraft equipped with a low-profile AESA antenna will fly and stream live motion video relying on a commercial satellite network, Shey Sabripour, founder and CEO of CesiumAstro, told SpaceNews.
Current military drones use dish antennas to communicate with geostationary orbit satellites. “DoD needs enhanced, higher throughput connectivity for airborne vehicles,” said Sabripour. “By switching drone satcom platforms to an AESA terminal, they will be able to connect to MEO and LEO orbits using commercial and military Ka-band frequencies.”
The Future of Drones in Canada: Perspectives from a Former RCAF Fighter Pilot | by DF Holman August 2013
What are the prospects for implementation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in the Canadian military? Holman explores many aspects of how UAVs operate, (including Global Hawk and Predator) their strengths and shortcomings. Examining them in the context of the overall systems that enable their capabilities, he looks at communications vulnerabilities, degrees of automation and autonomy, categories of UAV, rotary versus fixed wing applications, legal and airspace management constraints, and the potential roles in which UAVs might offer an immediate advantage. He concludes that surveillance is a very likely application, particularly in Canada’s far north. He is less sanguine about armed UAV roles (e.g. Reaper), particularly when it comes to air combat. Improved reliability, a matured regulatory framework, and a more stable customer base are the critical elements for future system development.
Reaper Aircraft Capabilities Tested in Canadian Arctic – National Defense 10/26/2021
In this article, Mark Brinkley, a General Atomics spokesperson, said:
“We have now proven that our UAS can operate safely in Arctic regions, over land and sea, where effective command and control and [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] data transfer was previously not feasible,”
GA-ASI Flies UAS in the Canadian Arctic |ga-asi.com
MQ-9 Demonstrates Ability to Fly in High-Latitude Environment
SAN DIEGO – 10 September 2021 – In a flight that originated from its Flight Test and Training Center (FTTC) near Grand Forks, N.D., General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) flew a company-owned MQ-9A “Big Wing” configured Unmanned Aircraft System north through Canadian airspace past the 78th parallel.
A traditional limitation of long-endurance UAS has been their inability to operate at extreme northern (and southern) latitudes, as many legacy SATCOM datalinks can become less reliable above the Arctic (or below the Antarctic) Circle – approximately 66 degrees north. At those latitudes, the low-look angle to geostationary Ku-band satellites begins to compromise the link. GA-ASI has demonstrated a new capability for effective ISR operations by performing a loiter at 78.31° North, using Inmarsat’s L-band Airborne ISR Service (LAISR).
The flight over Haig-Thomas Island, in the Canadian Arctic, demonstrated the UAS’s flexibility by operating at very high latitudes. The flight, which took off on Sept. 7 and returned to the FTTC on Sept. 8, was conducted with cooperation from the Federal Aviation Administration, Transport Canada and Nav Canada.
Covering 4,550 miles in 25.5 hours, it was one of the longest range flights ever flown by a company MQ-9. The flight was performed under an FAA Special Airworthiness Certificate and a Transport Canada Special Flight Operations Certificate.
GA-ASI partnered with Inmarsat Government, a leading provider of secure, global mission-critical telecommunications to the U.S. government in the design, acceptance testing and deployment of an enhanced satellite communications (SATCOM) system. The SATCOM was one of the key enablers of the flight and consisted of a GA-ASI designed L-band High Data Rate system, as well as an Inmarsat Low Data Rate backup datalink that could retain the aircraft’s link to the Ground Control Station even when operating in the high-latitude environment.
“As the global leader in UAS, we have enabled our UAS to operate in Arctic regions, over land and sea, where effective C2 and ISR-data transfer was previously not feasible,” said Linden Blue, GA-ASI CEO. “As new customers come online, we want our aircraft to be able to provide them with the high data rate surveillance and high endurance that our aircraft are known for, and be able to do so in any environment.”
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