UAV loss rates
Losing UAVs is no surprise:
"The mishap rate is defined as the number of mishaps a type of aircraft has for every 100,000 flight hours it accumulates, as an example the F-16 has a mishap rate of 3 per 100,000 flight hours. However, the mishap rates for UAVs tend to be much higher; the rate for the Hunter system is 55, Pioneer is a whopping 334, and even the relatively advanced Predator, at 32 per 100,000 flight hours, has a mishap rate 10 times that of the F-16. These numbers are somewhat deceiving though, especially those for the Predator aircraft. This aircraft has much less than 100,000 total flight hours, so there has been less of an opportunity to fix flaws in the aircraft design. Defense Science Board, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Uninhabited Combat Aerial Vehicles, February 2004."
Based on these stats, we could lose a Pred-UAV every 1 every 3,300 fg hrs = 1 every 4.5 months. Therefore, within 13 months, stats would indicate that the RAF could have lost all 3 Reaper UAVs. I know stats can be interpreted many ways, but HMT may wish to reconsider paying for extra Reaper UAVs.
Just a thought.......let the debate begin.
DH