background image

AIM 

4/20/23

 

11

3

2

Large UAS (MGOW 55 Pounds or More)

FIG 11

3

1

DoD UAS Categories

d.

Large Public UAS Engineering Characteristics and Operating Areas:

1.

Large public UAS may be sharing airspace with civil aircraft in the NAS. A wide variety of aircraft

performance, voice radio communications, command and control link architecture, and operating procedures
exists throughout the DoD and other large public UAS enterprises. For example, Group 4 DoD aircraft, such as
the MQ

1 Predator and MQ

9 Reaper, are typically propeller

driven with propulsion units that are internal

combustion piston

 or turbine

powered. The largest public UAS include single

engine jet aircraft such as the

RQ

4 Global Hawk and MQ

4C Triton.

2.

VLOS and BVLOS link systems provide command and control for these large UAS operations. Voice

communication capability in the largest public UAS is far more extensive than in the smaller aircraft. Many