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The B-001 was powered by an AlliedSignal Garrett TPE331-10T turboprop engine with 950 shaft horsepower (710 kW).
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Abraham Karem is the designer of the Predator. The General Atomics "Predator B-001", a proof-of-concept aircraft, first flew on 2 February 2001. The USAF operated 195 MQ-9 Reapers as of September 2016, and plans to keep the MQ-9 in service into the 2030s. Customs and Border Protection, and the militaries of several other countries. Air Force was training more pilots for advanced unmanned aerial vehicles than for any other single weapons system. In 2008, the New York Air National Guard 174th Attack Wing began the transition from F-16 piloted fighters to MQ-9A Reapers, becoming the first fighter unit to convert entirely to unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) use. The aircraft is monitored and controlled by aircrew in the Ground Control Station (GCS), including weapons employment. The greater power allows the Reaper to carry 15 times more ordnance payload and cruise at about three times the speed of the MQ-1. The Reaper has a 950- shaft-horsepower (712 kW) turboprop engine (compared to the Predator's 115 hp (86 kW) piston engine). The MQ-9 is a larger, heavier, and more capable aircraft than the earlier General Atomics MQ-1 Predator it can be controlled by the same ground systems used to control MQ-1s. Michael Moseley said: "We've moved from using UAVs primarily in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance roles before Operation Iraqi Freedom, to a true hunter-killer role with the Reaper." In 2006, the then– Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force General T. The MQ-9 is the first hunter-killer UAV designed for long-endurance, high-altitude surveillance. The MQ-9 and other UAVs are referred to as Remotely Piloted Vehicles/Aircraft (RPV/RPA) by the USAF to indicate their human ground controllers. While the defense giant is often focused on this type of Pentagon work, this award represents a new national security contract for Bezos' company–which is focused on a variety of space projects, including its tourism rocket New Shepard, a giant reusable rocket called New Glenn, and an astronaut lunar lander for NASA.The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (sometimes called Predator B) is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) primarily for the United States Air Force (USAF). "A lot of work was done on nuclear propulsion in previous decades and we'll leverage that expertise as we combine it with modern digital engineering modern spacecraft design and creativity to advance this new capability." "Nuclear thermal propulsion is a transformative technology that will dramatically change the way spacecraft will operate, increasing agility and allowing more efficient travel to Mars and beyond in far less time than conventional propulsion systems," Bill Pratt, Lockheed Martin Space's manager of Human Exploration Advanced Programs, said in a statement to CNBC.
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In Track B, Blue Origin and Lockheed Martin–awarded $2.5 million and $2.9 million, respectively–will each develop spacecraft concept designs.