Ghost is a“hybrid-electric propulsion ducted fan next-generation intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance/strike unmanned aerial system.”

By Jim Morris, Warrior Vice President, News

Three years ago, General Atomics showed a picture of a flying-wing reconnaissance drone that it claimed would be a game-changing aircraft. 

   Now, the Pentagon has given the company to go ahead and develop it. 

   In May, the Air Force Research Laboratory awarded General Atomics a $99.3 million contract to build what is described as “hybrid-electric propulsion ducted fan next-generation intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance/strike unmanned aerial system.”  The agreement calls for the work to be completed in a little more than three years, and will be conducted at the company’s facility in Poway, Calif. 

   There was no other bidder on the deal, and the Air Force has dubbed the drone “GHOST” - but didn’t explain what that means.    

   The Air Force plans to retire the aging U-2 manned spy plane starting next year, while the RQ-4 Global Hawk reconnaissance drone is set to be mothballed by the end of 2027. While GHOST could replace either or both, Air & Space Forces Magazine points out that the new drone will have a kinetic strike mission, unlike the U-2 and the RQ-4. And it speculates GHOST “may instead be a descendant of a planned MQ-X program – a stealth version of the MQ-9 Reaper – which the Air Force has pulled in and out of the budget for at least 10 years.” 

   GHOST’s propulsion system would be a significant advantage. A hybrid-electric ducted fan combined fuel-powered engines and electric motors. That allows for more fuel efficiency and is also very quiet. General Atomics has worked on similar propulsion systems for other drones, and said that could lead to a drone capable of staying in the air for up to 60 hours. Contrast that with the MQ-9, which has a publicly acknowledged endurance of about 27 hours.  

   Neither the Air Force nor General Atomics had much to say about GHOST, although a spokesman pointed out that the company has frequently been in the forefront of technological breakthroughs. 

   “Satcom control? Did it. Kinetic strike? That was us,” C. Mark Brinkley told The War Zone. “Automatic takeoff and landing? That, too. Unmanned jets? We’re building our third.” 

   That third unmanned plane is the YFQ-42A. Last month, General Atomics announced that it was moving into the ground testing phase for the jet, which is a test vehicle for the Combat Collaborative Aircraft (CCA) program. CCAs are designed to operate in large numbers alongside manned fighters and bombers as part of the Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance program.   

Jim Morris is the Warrior Vice President, News. Morris previously worked as an executive, writer and producers for Bloomberg TV and ABC News