AAI RQ-7 Shadow 200 Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle / Day-Night Reconnaissance / Surveillance / Target Acquisition (2001)
The AAI RQ-7 Shadow UAV has been used operationally over the skies of Iraq.
Design-wise, the Shadow 200 features a straight monoplane high-wing fixed to the rear of the fuselage. The fuselage itself is smooth with straight faces and a fixed undercarriage consists of two main wheels and a nose wheel. Tubular tail booms extend from the trailing edge of each wing and straddle the rear-mounted, propeller-driven pusher engine. The tail section ends in a unique angle-up shape. The bread-and-butter of the system is its electro-optical/infrared real-time relay camera held underneath the fuselage. The camera is gimbal-mounted and digitally-stabilized.
Shadow UAV's do not have the capacity to operate on their own and as such are fielded with integral components that make up a complete Shadow system. A Shadow system will consist of four Shadow UAVs, a rail launch trailer, personnel vehicles and two ground stations. The Shadow is rail-launched and recovered on a runway via a tail hook. Preparation time to get a Shadow in the air can be as little as 1 hour.
The RQ-7A is just over 11 feet long with a wingspan of nearly 13 feet and a height of 3 feet. The system weighs in at roughly 165lbs empty and 328lbs with a maximum payload. Power is derived from a single UEL AR-741 rotary piston engine of 208cc generating 38 horsepower. The engine is set up in a "pusher" fashion at the extreme end of the fuselage nacelle. A ceiling of up to 14,000 feet is reported with an endurance time of some 5 hours.
The RQ-7B variant is an improvement over the original production A models in almost every way. The wings have been redesigned with a larger surface and new airfoil along with a new tail unit. Fuel capacity has been increased which has effectively increased the Shadow's operational endurance limit to 7 hours (up from 5 hours in initial production models). Payload options have been expanded and the data link system has been upgraded to the Tactical Common Data Link (TCDL). Production of the RQ-7B began in the summer of 2004.
Besides supplying ground commanders with a "bird's eye view" of the battlefield in real-time, the Shadow is capable of carrying and dropping valuable medical supplies to ground troops via "Quick-MEDS (Medical Emergency Delivery System). Two such 20lb canisters can be delivered underwing. A "signals interception" package is also in development.
Ultimately, up to 88 Shadows are expected to be delivered with at least 20 already in operation as of this writing. Shadows have completed over 37,000 sorties and 300,000 flight hours with Army National Guard and United States Army units in Iraq.
RQ-7 derives its name from the Department of Defense designation system for UAV's. The "R" stands for Reconnaissance while the "Q" designates it as an unmanned aircraft. The number "7" notes it as the seventh purposely developed unmanned aircraft in the series of unmanned aerial aircraft systems in service with the US military. Text ©2003-2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • No Reproduction Permitted
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Specifications for the
AAI RQ-7 Shadow 200 Tactical
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle / Day-Night Reconnaissance / Surveillance / Target Acquisition
Country of Origin: United States
Manufacturer: AAI Corporation - USA
Initial Year of Service: 2001
Production: 88
Focus Model: AAI RQ-7A Shadow 200 Tactical
Crew: None
Length: 11.15ft (3.4m)
Width: 12.80ft (3.90m)
Height: 3.28ft (1.00m)
Weight (Empty): 165lbs (75kg)
Weight (MTOW): 328lbs (149kg)
Powerplant: 1 x UEL AR-741 208cc rotary piston engine generating 38 horsepower.
Maximum Speed: 129mph (207kmh; 112kts)
Maximum Range: 48miles (78km)
Service Ceiling: 14,993ft (4,570m; 2.8miles)
Rate-of-Climb: 0 feet per minute (0m/min)
Hardpoints: 0
Armament Suite:
None. Payload of 60lbs for various reconnaissance and surveillance equipment with no future plans to arm the Shadow.
Variants:
RQ-7A - Initial Production Model Designation
RQ-7B - Larger wings; redesigned and more efficient airfoil; increased fuel capacity and range/endurance (7 hours); redesigned and larger tail unit; improved avionics suite; improved payload; TCDL (Tactical Common Data Link).
Shadow 600 - Fuel-injected engine; swept wings; larger UAV EL 801 52-horsepower engine for improved performance; larger version of RQ-7 series.
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