With Drone Shortage, Air Force Pilots Train With Cessnas Dressed Up Like Predators

Surrogate Predator: A Cessna 182 wears the sensor ball
of a Predator Lon Carlson, L-3 Communications.

From Popular Science:

Converted manned aircraft with mounted sensor balls will imitate Predators and Reapers during military exercises.

A high demand for Predators and Reapers on the front lines has led the U.S. Air Force to take an unusual step: asking human pilots to mimic the drones for training purposes back in the States.

Cessna 182 aircraft have become converted "Surrogate Predators" with the installation of a "Predator ball" that typically serves as the surveillance and tracking eyes for drone operators. Such Predator balls give the manned Cessnas the ability to lock onto targets and track them.

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