Intelligence: July 4, 2003

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General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, the manufacturer of the Predator UAV, is said to be working on a stealthy UAV, equipped with electronic countermeasures, for flying long range recon missions into areas protected by substantial air defenses. Such a "Predator C" (no official name has been given to this project) could be quietly sent in immediately to any future hot spot, on short notice, to gather information on a crises then unfolding. No other information was surfaced on this new project, but it will probably build on the success of the five ton Predator B, which has the carrying capacity to handle additional electronics. Giving Predator B a stealthy airframe is a lot easier now with CAD (Computer Assisted Design), and was already working on a small jet turbine engine for the Predator B (as an alternative to the existing propeller engine.)