Source: United States Navy
Description
Blackjack provides the warfighter with dedicated day and night Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) coverage, target acquisition, and communication relay via a dedicated and cost effective airborne sensor system capable of delivering actionable intelligence to the tactical commander in real time. The expeditionary nature of the Blackjack, which does not require a runway for launch and recovery, makes it possible to deploy with minimal footprint from both austere land-based and shipboard environments.
A system is comprised of five air vehicles, two ground control systems, and launch and recovery support equipment. At eight feet long, a wingspan of 16 feet and endurance up to 16 hours, the air vehicle’s open-architecture configuration is designed to seamlessly integrate multi mission payloads, to include day/night full-motion video cameras, infrared marker, laser range finder, communications relay package, Automatic Identification System receivers, as well as the addition of other payloads as determined by requirements. Additional payloads are beginning to be incorporated to include Synthetic Aperture Radar/Ground Moving Target (SAR/GMTI) and signals intelligence.
Blackjack, currently in full rate production, is in operational use by Navy and Marine Corps units.
Mission
The RQ-21A Blackjack provides the warfighter with dedicated day and night Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) coverage, target acquisition, and communication relay via a dedicated and cost effective airborne sensor system capable of delivering actionable intelligence to the tactical commander in real time. The expeditionary nature of the Blackjack, which does not require a runway for launch and recovery, makes it possible to deploy with minimal footprint from both austere land-based and shipboard environments.
Range: 50 km
Speed: 60 kts
Endurance: up to 16 hrs
Altitude: up to 20,000 ft
Wing Span: 15.7 ft
Length: 8.2 ft
Weight: 135 lbs
Original Equipment Manufacturer: Insitu, Inc.