| RQ-2 Pioneer | |
|---|---|
 RQ-2 Pioneer | |
| General information | |
| Type | Reconnaissance UAV |
| National origin | Israel/United States |
| Manufacturer | AAI Corporation,Israel Aircraft Industries |
| Number built | 175 delivered; 35 in service |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 1986 |
| Retired | 2007 |
| Developed into | AAI RQ-7 Shadow |
TheAAI RQ-2 Pioneer is anunmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that was used by theUnited States Navy,Marine Corps, andArmy, and deployed at sea and on land from 1986 until 2007. Initially tested aboardUSSIowa, the RQ-2 Pioneer was placed aboardIowa-classbattleships to provide gunnery spotting, its mission evolving intoreconnaissance and surveillance, primarily foramphibious forces.
It was developed jointly byAAI Corporation andIsrael Aircraft Industries. The program grew out of successful testing and field operation of theTadiran Mastiff UAV by theAmerican andIsraeli militaries.[1]
Essentially, the Pioneer is an upgradedIAI Scout which was re-engined to accommodate a greater payload by request of the US Navy. To accomplish this, the original "Limbach" two-cylinder two-stroke engine was replaced with a Fichtel & Sachs two-cylinder two-stroke. The Limbach motor used a 71 cm propeller from Propeller Engineering and Duplicating, Inc. of San Clemente, California. The newer, more powerful Fichtel & Sachs motor was outfitted with a 74 cm propeller (which spins in the opposite direction) from theSensenich Propeller Manufacturing Company of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Launched byrocket assist (shipboard), bycatapult, or from arunway, the Pioneer recovers into a net (shipboard) or witharresting gear after flying up to five hours with a 75-pound (34 kg) payload. It flies day or night missions with agimbaled EO/IR sensor, relaying analog video in real time via aC-band line-of-sight (LOS) data link. Since 1991, Pioneer has flown reconnaissance missions during thePersian Gulf,Somalia (UNOSOM II),Bosnia,Kosovo andIraq conflicts. In 2005, theNavy operated two Pioneer systems (one for training) and the Marines operated two, each with five or more aircraft. It is also operated by Israel and theRepublic of Singapore Air Force. In 2007 Pioneer was retired by the US Navy and was replaced by theShadow UAV.
Internationally, Pioneer drones are perhaps most remembered for their role in the 1991Gulf War, when a Pioneer launched by theIowa-classbattleshipUSS Wisconsin (BB-64) observed Iraqi troops onFailaka Island surrendering shortly afterUSS Missouri's attack on their trenchlines. When navy officials offered to transfer a Pioneer to theSmithsonian Institution, curators at theNational Air and Space Museum specifically asked for the UAV that Iraqi troops surrendered to during the Gulf War.[2]
In the 1991 Gulf War, the US Army operated aUAV Platoon from Ft. Huachuca, Arizona. The UAV Platoon conducted flight surveillance and target acquisition missions from KKMC and later, the unit pushed north (Operation Sand Hawk) where US Army combat engineers built a metal runway for the aircraft to launch and recover.[3]
The "R" is the Department of Defense designation for reconnaissance; "Q" means unmanned aircraft system. The "2" refers to its being the second of a series of purpose-built unmanned reconnaissance aircraft systems.
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Data from[citation needed]
General characteristics
Performance
Avionics
Dual Sensor (12DS/POP-200/POP-300)
United States
United StatesRelated development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
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