Message posted by Gabe on June 25, 2020 at 23:39:34 PST:
Just to speak on chase aircraft, UAVs typically only need a chase aircraft or ground spotter outside of class A, class B, class C, restricted, or TFR airspace. The Q4s and Reapers usually drop their chase aircraft crossing the restricted boundary or upon climbing into a protected class of airspace. Of course, I’m not talking about “black projects”, just every day stuff. But for example, CBP flies UAVs in civil airspace routinely without a chase in class A. The Air Force recently delivered a Reaper from the Palmdale area to Holloman by having a chase deliver the aircraft into restricted airspace, climbed above FL180, cruised in civil class A, then descended in the White Sands restricted. It’s just because the aircraft can’t “see and avoid”. Those classes of airspace require everyone to be talking to ATC and be radar identified, so it alleviates the requirement to see and avoid, where as in class G/D/E there is much less responsibility and capability for ATC to assure separation.
In Reply to: Re: RQ-180 speculations posted by Joerg (Webmaster) on June 25, 2020 at 14:24:20 PST:
Replies: