FQ-9 Blackbird

The FQ-9 Blackbird was an all-weather, man-portable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed by and operated by the UNSC Army and Marine Corps. The Blackbird was designed for use in both defensive and expeditionary settings, as the base level of ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance) asset that could be deployed by dismounted light infantry, including Orbital Drop Shock Troops, in the most austere of environments. The Blackbird filled a niche above that of the traditional surveillance and target acquisition assets available to light infantry, such as individual day and night weapon sights, sentries, ground-deployed sensors and information shared from other platforms and units, but below the capability offered by dedicated ISTAR platforms operated by specialist units. The FQ-9 offered formations standoff surveillance and target acquisition, terrain and threat analysis, coordination of indirect fires, reconnaissance and construction of mission packs for specific operations, all contributing to increased situational awareness.
The FQ-9 was designed in 2527 in response to a joint Army/Marine Corps request for a man-portable ISTAR platform that would enable numerically and technologically inferior UNSC forces to concentrate scant firepower appropriately in defence, and identify and avoid enemy strength while targetting areas of weakness on the offensive. In the early stages of the Human-Covenant War, UNSC battlefield ISTAR UAVs were generally designed for operation in a counter-insurgency (COIN) environment, where there was little threat of enemy action, and were therefore large, high-altitude, high-endurance, expensive and few in number. This type of UAV was increasingly unsurvivable in high intensity operations against . The Blackbird was therefore designed to be highly networked, lightweight, affordable and survivable, and to be directly operated by combat units as part of their organic equipment. Though only lightly protected and unarmed, the FQ-9's small size made both detection and targetting difficult for the Covenant, especially given the unguided nature of most of their small arms. Later iterations of the Blackbird would include software updates to incorporate evasive movement on detection of incoming fire.
==History==
Development history
Operational history
==Design==
The Blackbird consisted of a bulky central body, a pair of bladeless fans to provide lift and manoeuvre, and a rotating lower section. The front of the main body was dominated by a large lens for the electro-optical and infrared sensors. Above this and offset slightly was the laser rangefinder, illuminator and designator. Below the main body was a rotating sensor suite containing emitters for infrared and visible light, and the fire control radar system. Inside the main body was the UAV's lithium-ion powerpack, which was sufficient for up to 18 hours' continuous operation, as well as the central processing unit, avionics and communications equipment and the synthetic aperture RADAR.
The Blackbird's two bladeless fans extended from either side of the main body, and were designed specifically to reduce noise while maximising endurance. Using minimal power, air was drawn in through compressors located in the fans' connecting spars, which was then forced out through the circular air vent in a smooth rather than turbulent airflow. This both reduced energy consumption and resulted in extremely quiet thrust, minimising the chance of detection. Its articulated fans gave it omni-directional movement, including the ability to hover, fly backwards and sideways. The articulated nature of the fans and the UAV's internal fly-by-wire systems enabled flight in all directions regardless of the direction the main sensors were aimed in. The blades could 'tuck in' against the main body for when small size or silhouette was a priority, such as flying through windows and doorways, or for transportation. For normal flight and hover, the blades extended outwards, with an 8 degree upwards angle for increased stability. The fans were highly manoeuvrable, which, combined with the UAV's detection of incoming fire and rudimentary artificial intelligence capacity, meant it could evade incoming fire.
==Operation==
The Blackbird was capable of operations in adverse weather conditions including temperatures ranging from −40 to +60 °C and wind speeds up to 50 kph. Blackbird was designed to be as simple as possible to operate with minimal equipment and in hostile environments. For this reason, it did not need a separate set of hardware in the form of a control system to operate, but was instead commanded and controlled through an intuitive software interface accessible through every UNSC infantryman's Heads-Up Display. In practice, the Blackbird was operated at platoon level and would be launched by the platoon signaller, the mission parameters having been input by the platoon commander or sergeant. The Blackbird could be remotely controlled by an operator on the ground, which was particularly useful for reconnaissance missions on specific targets. In this mode of operation, the UAV would be given a flight path, then the operator could focus on controlling the UAV's sensors. This level of control, however, required line-of-sight either between the operator and UAV, or between a radio antenna and UAV, or a satellite link. In denied or austere environments this was frequently unavailable, therefore the Blackbird was also designed to function largely autonomously between launch and recovery, and was equipped with fairly advanced decision-making, processing and problem-solving abilities, in addition to its basic mission programming. The UAV could be instructed to follow a pre-set flight path, to hold a certain position, or to roam within a defined area, either at random or according to a flight pattern. So long as the UAV knew its location on launch, through GPS signal or manual input, it could complete a programmed mission completely without GPS coverage or if it was lost during the mission, through use of inertial navigation systems.
The Blackbird was capable of operating at medium altitude, giving it the greatest vantage point for its sensory equipment and maximising survivability, or low altitude. The latter was particularly useful for urban areas, where the UAV could navigate on three axes and identify targets on rooftops or inside buildings. The UAV would land on completion of its mission, after a preset period of time or other preset conditions had been met, or an auto-land once its power level reached critical levels. Landing could take place at a pre-designated location, which could be altered in flight, at the location of a specified unit, or at its launch location. On landing, the Blackbird's internal lithium-ion battery could be recharged from the powerpack of all in-service UNSC wheeled and tracked vehicles. Full recharging could be achieved by a in approximately 90 minutes.
The Blackbird was capable of acting as a communications node for vehicle-mounted and dismounted infantry through use of a secure datalink package, allowing it to receive and relay voice and data radio transmissions. This enabled secure communications for units without line-of-sight between them who would otherwise not be able to communicate via radio.
The Blackbird's sensor output was compiled and processed by the UAV itself, then transmitted to UNSC ground forces in easy to understand, manageable formats. For a UNSC infantryman, the sign of having a Blackbird overhead would be the addition of targetting and topographical information accessible via his HUD, allowing him to see target information either in a map view or overlaid over their real-time view.
==Sensors==