(H/T to Seapower magazine)
The U.S. Marine Corps’ MQ-9A Reaper drone fleet appears to be gaining a new edge in low-observability technology. During a recent event at the Brookings Institution, General Eric M. Smith, the 39th commandant of the Marine Corps, alluded to a classified pod system called T-SOAR that enhances the drone’s ability to evade enemy radar detection.
General Smith’s comments came during a conversation with Michael O’Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, where they discussed the current state of the Marine Corps and the ongoing process of Defense transformation under the National Defense Strategy. While details surrounding the T-SOAR pod remain classified, General Smith did highlight its effectiveness in reducing the Reaper’s radar signature, stating it allows the drone to “somewhat disappear off of an enemy radar” while responding to a reporter’s question.
Smith also said earlier in the webinar that the pod “can mimic things that are sent to it that it detects, turn it around, and send it back so that it becomes a black hole.”
While the specific functionalities of the T-SOAR pod remain under wraps, information from General Atomics, the manufacturer of the MQ-9 Reaper, sheds light on a broader class of pod systems – the Scalable Open Architecture Reconnaissance (SOAR) pod.
General Atomics describes the SOAR pod primarily as a long-range signal intelligence (SIGINT) gathering tool. These pods excel at detecting, identifying, and pinpointing the location of enemy radar and communication signals over extended distances. This capability, known as standoff surveillance, allows Reaper operators to gather intelligence on potential threats before those threats even detect the presence of the drone. Additionally, the SOAR pod facilitates real-time collection and onboard storage of valuable intelligence data for post-mission analysis.