View source for General Atomics Gnat

{{Short description|Aerial reconnaissance UAV designed in the 1980s}}
{{Refimprove|date=September 2013}}
<!-- This article is a part of [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft]]. Please see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/page content]] for recommended layout. -->
{{Infobox aircraft
 |name=Gnat
 |image= File:General Atomics I-GNAT ER.jpg
 |image_border= yes
 |caption=
 |type=Reconnaissance UAV
 |national_origin=United States
 |manufacturer=[[General Atomics Aeronautical Systems]]
 |designer=
 |first_flight=1989
 |introduction= Early 1990s
 |retired=
 |status=Retired 
 |primary_user=[[CIA]]
 |produced=1989-?
 |number_built=22+
 |developed_into=[[General Atomics MQ-1 Predator]]
}}

The '''General Atomics Gnat''' is an [[aerial reconnaissance]] [[Unmanned aerial vehicle|UAV]] developed in the United States in the late 1980s and manufactured by [[General Atomics Aeronautical Systems]] (GA-ASI). As initially designed, it was a simplified version of the [[LSI Amber]] intended for foreign sales. The Gnat 750 made its first flight in 1989.

==Design and development==
The Gnat 750's configuration was similar to that of the Amber, except that the Gnat 750's wing was mounted low on the fuselage, instead of being mounted on a pylon on top. The Gnat 750 was somewhat larger than the Amber, but weighed less and could carry a heavier payload. The original name of the developing company before its acquisition by [[General Atomics]] was Leading Systems Incorporated (LSI).

The aircraft is powered by a [[Rotax 912]] piston flat-four four-cycle engine with 64&nbsp;kW (85&nbsp;hp). It can fly to an operational area from 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) away and loiter there for 12 hours before returning home.

Eight Gnat 750s were in development when General Atomics bought out LSI. General Atomics continued the program, which led to a contract from the Turkish government for a number of the UAVs in 1993. The [[Turkish Air Force]] operates 6 Gnat-750 and 16 I-Gnat ER unmanned aerial vehicles.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081219205606/http://www.japcc.de/fileadmin/user_upload/projects/nato_flight_plan_for_uas/Flightplan_2008/03_-_2008_Flight_Plan_-_Annex_B_and_B1.pdf NATO Unmanned Aircraft Systems - Operational]</ref>

By this time, [[Revolutions of 1989|the breakup]] of the old Communist states of [[Eastern Europe]] was in full swing, and the United States government wanted to obtain an intelligence asset to help it deal with trouble spots in the region, specifically the former [[Yugoslavia]]. A contract was issued to General Atomics for Gnat 750s with minor modifications. The aircraft were to be operated by the CIA.

The program encountered a number of difficulties, much of them due to bureaucratic factionalism and squabbling. One aircraft crashed during tests when it was hit by a gust of wind, causing it to indicate zero airspeed. The UAV's software decided that meant it had landed and shut down the engine, causing the Gnat to fall to earth.

The Gnat 750 effort squeaked through, and in early 1994 the CIA sent a team equipped with a Gnat 750 to Albania to monitor events in the former Yugoslavia. The operation was not a success. The aircraft suffered from a number of bugs and was limited by bad weather, and the team was finally withdrawn. However, the Gnat 750 continued to be built, leading to an "Improved Gnat" or "I-Gnat" variant, with a turbocharged engine and general overall refinements to increase reliability, reduce maintenance, and enhance capability. The Gnat 750 also led to a next-generation derivative, the "Gnat 750-45", much better known as the [[General Atomics MQ-1 Predator|Predator]].

===Prowler===
General Atomics also used the Gnat 750 as the basis for a tactical UAV known as the "'''Prowler'''". It appears similar to a Gnat 750, but is smaller, with a wingspan of 7.31 meters (24&nbsp;ft) and a length of 4.24 meters (13.9&nbsp;ft). It has an endurance of over 16 hours, and some commonality with Gnat 750 subsystems.{{cn|date=January 2016}}

==Operators==
;{{TUR}}
* [[Turkish Air Force]]: used to operate 22 units. (Former operator, replaced by [[TAI Anka]])<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/aug/03/drone-stocks-by-country | title=Drones by country: Who has all the UAVs? | website=[[TheGuardian.com]] | date=3 August 2012 }}</ref>
;{{USA}}
* [[Central Intelligence Agency]]: operated Gnat 750 to monitor activity in [[Albania]] and [[Yugoslavia]]

==Aircraft on display==
* 11 – Gnat 750 on static display at the [[Estrella Warbirds Museum]] in [[Paso Robles, California]].<ref>{{cite web |title=General Atomics 750 GNAT |url=http://www.ewarbirds.org/uav/gnat750.shtml |website=Estrella Warbirds Museum |access-date=4 August 2023}}</ref>

==Specifications (Gnat 750)==
[[File:General Atomics Gnat 750.png|right|300px]]
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=Air Vectors<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.airvectors.net/avpred_2.html |title= General Atomics Predator & Reaper |date= 1 Feb 2022 |author= Greg Goebel}}</ref>
|prime units?=kts
<!--
        General characteristics
-->
|length ft=16
|length in=5
|length note=
|span ft=35
|span in=4
|span note=
|height ft=2
|height in=5
|height note=
|wing area sqft=
|wing area note=
|swept area sqft=<!-- swing-wings -->
|swept area note=
|volume ft3=<!-- lighter-than-air -->
|volume note=
|aspect ratio=<!-- sailplanes -->
|airfoil=<!--'''root:''' [[NACA airfoil|NACA ]]; '''tip:''' [[NACA airfoil|NACA ]]<ref name="Selig">{{cite web |last1=Lednicer |first1=David |title=The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage |url=https://m-selig.ae.illinois.edu/ads/aircraft.html |website=m-selig.ae.illinois.edu |accessdate=16 April 2019}}</ref>-->
|empty weight lb=560
|empty weight note=
|gross weight lb=1140
|gross weight note=
|max takeoff weight lb=
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity=
|lift lb=<!-- lighter-than-air -->
|lift note=
|more general=
<!--
        Powerplant
-->
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=[[Rotax 912]]
|eng1 type=
|eng1 hp=85
|eng1 note=

|prop blade number=2
|prop name=constant-speed pusher propeller
|prop dia m=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop dia ft=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop dia in=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop dia note=
<!--
        Performance
-->
|max speed kts=115
|max speed note=
|cruise speed kts=
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed kts=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed kts=
|never exceed speed note=
|range nmi=
|range note=
|combat range km=2,000 
|combat range note= 12 hours loiter
|ferry range nmi=
|ferry range note=
|endurance=48 hours
|ceiling ft=25000
|ceiling note=
|g limits=<!-- aerobatic -->
|roll rate=<!-- aerobatic -->
|glide ratio=<!-- sailplanes -->
|climb rate ftmin=
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|lift to drag=
|wing loading lb/sqft=
|wing loading note=
|fuel consumption lb/mi=
|power/mass=

|more performance=
|avionics=
}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
This article contains material that originally came from the Web article {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110902194407/http://www.vectorsite.net/twuav.html ''Unmanned Aerial Vehicles'']}} by Greg Goebel, which exists in the Public Domain.

==External links==
* [http://www.fas.org/irp/program/collect/gnat-750.htm General Atomics Gnat-750] at the [[Federation of American Scientists|FAS]]
* [http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app4/gnat.html General Atomics Gnat]

{{General Atomics aircraft}}

[[Category:General Atomics aircraft|Gnat]]
[[Category:Unmanned aerial vehicles of the United States]]
[[Category:1980s United States military reconnaissance aircraft]]
[[Category:Single-engined pusher aircraft]]
[[Category:V-tail aircraft]]