MQ-1C UAV Advanced Kit

Clear Prop!, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

The General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle (previously the Warrior; also called Sky Warrior and ERMP or Extended-Range Multi-Purpose) is a medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aircraft system (UAS). It was developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) for the United States Army as an upgrade of the General Atomics MQ-1 Predator.

Development

The U.S. Army initiated the Extended-Range Multi-Purpose UAV competition in 2002, with the winning aircraft due to replace the RQ-5 Hunter. Two aircraft were entered, the IAI/Northrop Grumman Hunter II, and the Warrior. In August 2005, the Army announced the Warrior to be the winner and awarded a $214 million contract for system development and demonstration. The Army intended to procure eleven Warrior systems, each of these units having twelve UAVs and five ground control stations. With an expected total program cost of $1 billion, the aircraft was to enter service in 2009.

The Army announced on 3 September 2010 that the integration of the AGM-114 Hellfire missile on the UAV had been so successful that 4 weaponized MQ-1Cs would be deployed to Afghanistan in late 2010.

Performance Issues

In March 2011, Gray Eagles started showing poor reliability across all major subsystems. During that month, one Gray Eagle crashed in California when a faulty chip blocked commands to part of the aircraft's flight control surfaces. Flight testing was delayed until the chip was replaced but had left it with fewer available flight hours; the average time between failures of the aircraft or components was 25 hours, while the minimum required is 100 hours. The ground control station's time between failures was 27 hours, while the minimum time required is 150 hours.

Sensors failed at 134 hours, compared to 250 hours required. In October 2011, a report concluded the Gray Eagle was meeting only four out of seven "key performance parameters," and its reliability fell short of predicted growth. 11 unplanned software revisions had generally improved reliability.Reliability problems were attributed mostly to software issues from newly installed sensors, which did not reappear once fixed. Initial focus was on expanding capability and achieving an availability rate of 80 percent, then addressing reliability.

On 27 July 2013, General Atomics announced the successful first flight of the Improved Gray Eagle (IGE). The IGE is designed for increased endurance, with 23 additional hours compared to its Block I predecessor. It has 50 percent greater fuel capacity through its deep belly fuselage and features improved payload capacity of 50 percent or more. The upgraded centerline hardpoint supports integration of a 500-pound (227 kg) optional external fuel tank or 360 degree sensor payload. The IGE's additional space, plus an improved Lycoming DEL-120 Heavy Fuel Engine (HFE), provides growth capability for an improved airworthiness design, with the potential of incorporating lightning protection, damage tolerance, and Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) features.*

*Historical summary courtesy of Wikipedia

Clear Prop! has now released a 1/48 scale kit of the MQ-1C UAV in their Advanced series. As far as I am aware, this is the first 1/48 scale Grey Eagle model available in any medium.

Clear Prop!’s 1/48 scale scale MQ-1C comprises a modest 94 parts in medium grey plastic, eight parts in clear plastic, 12 photo-etched parts (ten brass plated and two copper), a decal sheet printed by Decograph and markings for four aircraft.

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Thumbnail panels:

The model is quite significant with a 36 cm wingspan.

Moulding quality is excellent. Panel lines are crisp and even with recessed rivets where appropriate too.

Detail is good, although with no cockpit it is limited to the fuselage, wings and simple but well-rendered undercarriage legs and wheels. Avionics are also provided for the fuselage and wings.

Optional copper photo-etched parts are supplied as sleeves for the undercarriage legs in what is described as Variant A.

A second photo-etched part, this time in brass, offers tiny vanes, intakes and other details.

The undercarriage may only be built in the down position.

With only 94 grey plastic parts, kit breakdown is simple. The fuselage is supplied in left and right halves, plus a bottom canoe section. The long wings are each made up from a top and bottom half for each with the completed wings sliding onto a stout wing spar built into the lower fuselage.

Clear parts are supplied for the FLIR housing and small navigation lights.

Markings

Markings are called out for four US Army machines.

Stencils and weapon markings are included on the decal sheet too.

The decals are perfectly printed, glossy, in register and feature minimal carrier film. They are  printed in Ukraine by Decograph.

This is another well-detailed and highly desirable kit, not to mention long overdue. Keep 'em comong Clear Prop!

Thanks to Clear Prop! for the sample

Text and Images Copyright © 2024 by Brett Green
Page Created 20 August, 2023
Last updated 20 August, 2024

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