US strike drone Mojave has taken off and landed on a dirt road for the first time

General Atomics tested the Mojave drone on a dirt road for the first time. The drone was able to successfully make both takeoff and landing.

Here's What We Know

The purpose of the tests was to demonstrate the versatility of the drone. As part of these tests, the multi-purpose drone performed short flights, climbing to heights of up to 180 metres.

Mojave's ability to carry out missions without being tethered to a runway opens up new operational opportunities for commanders across the services that will operate the drone. This was reported by GA-ASI President David R. Alexander.

Mojave uses sensors, avionics and a handheld control station from the Gray Eagle drone. At the same time, the new drone has an enlarged wing and reinforced landing gear. The propulsion system has a power output of 450 horsepower.

Mojave can carry up to 16 AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles, twice as many as the MQ-1C Gray Eagle. It has a maximum flight duration of 25 hours. The C-130 Hercules aircraft can be used to transport the drone. And the drone can be transported disassembled. We learnt about it a few months ago, when the company published a CGI video.

Source: General Atomics