As the successor of the combat-proven Predator aircraft system, Predator B was developed and flight tested in early 2001 to support both emerging military and scientific research applications. Configured with a flight proven, commercially available turbo prop engine, Predator B flies at speeds over 200 knots which provides a tremendous flexibility in supporting dynamic deployment requirements. And, with a large internal payload capacity, Predator B can efficiently support multiple military objectives as well as a variety of scientific research applications all from the same aircraft. ALTAIR, a variant of the militarized Predator B, is planned for first flight in 2003 and will be used to support NASA's atmospheric research efforts.
GA announced that it received a contract valued at $15.7 million from the U.S. Air Force for two Predator B unmanned aircraft. Designated MQ-9 Hunter-Killer, Predator B will be configured as a 10,000 lb. gross takeoff weight aircraft capable of operations over 50,000 feet for over 30 hours while carrying over 800 lbs of internal payload; the aircraft will also be capable of 3,000 lbs of external carriage of various payloads. Delivery of the first aircraft is scheduled for November 2003.

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