New AF UAV dubbed "Reaper"

[Flash]

It was in fact previously known as the Predator B.

Would it make a decent CAS vehicle or would we still want a human more intimately in the loop?

It is an improved and enlarged Predator with a turboprop engine. A modified version called the Mariner is also being proposed to fulfill the Navy's BAMS requirement.

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/wms/findPage.do?dsp=fec&ci=15208&rsbci=5&fti=0&ti=0&sc=400

 

[Flash]

Global Hawk is a high altitude, 65,000+ and long endurance, 24+ hours RECON platform, supporting JDISS and GCCS.

It continues to do well.

Continues?! It has had some serious teething problems.

http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/issues/2003/May/Global_Hawk.htm

True, it is a pretty complex and useful aircraft, but it is a long way from being as useful and as mature a weapon system as the U-2. A lot of what it is advertised to do is just developmental or proposed right now.

 

[The Chief]

..... He said that it was ironic that the reliability goals initially set for Global Hawk by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency were too low. “Predicted Global Hawk reliability exceeds those goals today,” he said, estimating reliability at the current test stage at 9.5 per 100,000 flight hours, and rising to 5.1 when Global Hawk enters production. Two are scheduled to be built this year, four next and then six every subsequent year. Beard estimated the cost of production models at about $35 million, though other estimates put the price tag as high as $50 million, depending on the sensor package.