The UCAV Sentinel is a carrier-based, fixed-wing Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle used exclusively by NATO's naval aviation wings in ArmA 3. It was added as part of the Jets DLC.
Overview[]
- Roles:
- Observation
- Laser targeting
- Close air support
- SEAD
« | The Sentinel [UCAV] is a fifth-generation, state-of-the-art, twin-engine, all-weather tactical unmanned combat vehicle. The UAV was designed primarily as a stealth reconnaissance platform, but also has precision ground attack capabilities. This aircraft is fitted with required equipment for carrier operations. Field Manual
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Design[]
The Sentinel is a tailless, jet-powered stealth drone that uses a blended-wing-body airframe. It is designed primarily to be used for both ground attack and close air support roles.
Armament
It uses an internal weapons bay that has two pylons that support dynamic loadouts, and each pylon (1-2) can be fitted with either one of the following air-to-ground munitions:
- Macer II (2×)
- GBU-12 (1×)
- CBU-85 (1x)
- BL778 (1x)
- AGM-88C HARM (1×)
- GBU SDB (4×)
An integrated laser designator is also available and can be used for self-designation. By taking manual control of the Sentinel, they can guide the drone's own laser guided bombs or mark targets for friendly forces.
Should the Sentinel become immobilised or find itself trapped after a poor landing/take-off, heavy-lift helicopters can slingload the drone to a better position or to a nearby logistical vehicle.
Features
The Sentinel is currently the largest and the fastest UCAV in ArmA 3. While not nearly as agile as the smaller Greyhawk, it's stealthed against radars and can attack hard targets protected behind heavy anti-air defences.
It has a tailhook to assist in performing carrier take-offs and landings, and can also have its wings folded to allow for easier storage and transportation aboard carriers.
Notable Traits
Having the smallest RCS signature, the Sentinel is the stealthiest fixed-wing aircraft that can safely fly through even the thickest SAM networks without being seen (electronically).
While it cannot be outfitted with as many HARMs as the non-stealthed variant of the To-201, the Sentinel is on-par in terms of being a deadly SEAD threat to SAM batteries. So as long as the Sentinel has its radar toggled off, it can spot any radar site that activates, fire off a HARM in its direction, and then quickly relocate elsewhere without being spotted even once.
Drawbacks
The Sentinel's only real downside is its lack of variety when it comes to onboard munitions, which makes it far less useful for CAS purposes unlike the Greyhawk (the latter is capable of carrying air-to-air missiles as well as AGMs and LGBs).
Camouflage[]
- Dark Grey: Pattern-less scheme that uses a dark ghost grey paint colour.
- Dark Grey (Camo): Two-tone dark grey/ghost grey paint scheme designed for low observability.
Protection[]
The Sentinel has a base armour value of 50.
Hull[]
The hull can withstand up to 75 points of damage before its integrity fails. Up to 50% of incoming damage will be shared with the drone's main "health" pool. It takes 200% additional damage from high-explosive (HE) type munitions.
Engine[]
The engine can take up to 75 points of damage before it suffers from failure. At least 50% of incoming damage will be transferred to the drone's main "health" pool. The engine always takes 200% increased damage from HE-type munitions.
If damaged: Lowers engine power output.
If destroyed: Causes total power loss.
Fuel tank[]
The fuel tank can withstand up to 150 points of damage before it ruptures. Up to 50% of incoming damage will always be shared with the drone's main "health" pool. It takes 400% increased damage from HE-type munitions.
If damaged: Causes fuel to gradually leak, up to 50% of the tank's current capacity.
If destroyed: Entire fuel tank will be depleted over several seconds.
Control surfaces[]
The drone's control surfaces consist of six components:
- Ailerons (left/right)
- Elevators (left/right)
- Rudders (left/right)
All six components can take up to 75 points of damage before they start failing (individually). They take 300% additional damage from HE-type munitions.
Depending on which specific control surface is hit, the drone's handling and agility will be degraded based on the severity of component's damage.
Stealth[]
The Sentinel has all-aspect stealth and is incredibly difficult to detect both electronically and visually on all spectrums:
RCS[]
The Sentinel has a radar cross-section rating of just 0.15. It can only be detected at 15% of an opposing radar's maximum range (an impressive reduction of 85%).
IR[]
The Sentinel is partially masked against infrared sensors, and can only be spotted at 80% of the sensor's range (factor of 0.8; reduction of 20%).
Visual[]
The Sentinel's shape makes it slightly more difficult to detect via visual sensors, and can only be tracked at 90% of an opposing sensor's default range (factor of 0.9; reduction of 10%).
Sensors[]
The Sentinel has an array of sensors designed to allow it operate in ground attack missions:
Sensor type | Max range (Air/Ground) | Min range (Air/Ground) | Affected by environment? | Target max speed (km/h) | Azimuth coverage (°) | Elevation coverage (°) | Friendly identification range (m) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Active | A: 8,000 m G: 6,000 m |
A: 8,000 m G: 6,000 m |
Terrain clutter (200 m) | 1e+10 km/h | 60° | 60° | 6,000 m |
Anti-Radiation | A: 16,000 m G: 16,000 m |
A: 16,000 m G: 16,000 m |
Nothing | 216 km/h | 60° | 180° | 12,000 m |
Infrared | A: 4,000 m G: 3,000 m |
A: 500 m G: 500 m |
Fog (0.005%) | 180 km/h | 51° | 37° | 4,000 m |
Laser | A: 6,000 m G: 6,000 m |
A: 6,000 m G: 6,000 m |
Nothing | 1e+10 km/h | 180° | 180° | 0 m |
NV | A: 6,000 m G: 6,000 m |
A: 6,000 m G: 6,000 m |
Nothing | 1e+10 km/h | 180° | 180° | 0 m |
Passive | A: 16,000 m G: 16,000 m |
A: 16,000 m G: 16,000 m |
Nothing | 1e+10 km/h | 360° | 360° | 12,000 m |
Visual | A: 3,500 m G: 3,000 m |
A: 500 m G: 500 m |
Fog/Light (6%) | 180 km/h | 51° | 37° | 3,000 m |
Active Radar[]
The Sentinel's Active Radar has an elevation offset of 20 degrees. Targets will only become lockable once they get within the bounds of the sensor cone (represented by the teal cone on the SENSORS panel).
Note that although ground targets at distances below 200 metres remain "invisible" to the radar due to terrain clutter, any targets that are moving at speeds of ~ 100 km/h or greater will immediately become visible on the Sentinel's radar.
Anti-Radiation Sensor[]
The Sentinel's Anti-Radiation Sensor is forward-facing only. Its elevation coverage is specifically three times the circumference compared to azimuth and is therefore optimised to detect ground targets.
Infrared Sensor[]
The Sentinel's IR Sensor is located in the nose sensor module (represented by the red cone on the SENSORS panel). Although it is technically affected by heavy fog, the range reduction effect is so miniscule (-0.2 metre reduction) that it will be barely noticeable.
It should be noted that the IR Sensor has an elevation offset of -0.5 degrees.
Laser Sensor[]
The Sentinel's Laser Sensor is forward-facing only. Any designated targets will become visible on the Sentinel's SENSORS panel only when the drone is (mostly) facing in the direction of the laser spot.
NV Sensor[]
The Sentinel's NV Sensor is forward-facing only. Any IR grenades on the ground will only become visible on the SENSORS panel when the Sentinel is (mostly) facing in the direction of the grenade.
Passive Radar[]
The Sentinel's Passive Radar can detect Active Radar threats in any direction (regardless of the drone's facing direction).
Visual Sensor[]
The Sentinel's Visual Sensor is located in the nose sensor module (represented by the orange cone on the SENSORS panel). The Visual Sensor can be affected by heavy fog and can lose up to 6% of its range depending on its thickness. The Visual Sensor becomes completely blind at nighttime and very low-light conditions.
It should be noted that the Visual Sensor has an elevation offset of -0.5 degrees.
Armament[]
NOTE: Only the weapons used on the default loadout for the Sentinel are listed here. For full details on ordnance that can be mounted on the Sentinel, refer to the dynamic loadouts article.
The AI "gunner" controls both GBU-12 laser-guided bombs which are stored within the Sentinel's internal weapons bay. The AI's camera has access to three fields of view and can toggle a day, night or black-hot/white-hot thermal vision mode:
GBU-12[]
- Main article: Dynamic loadouts#GBU-12
Laser-guided bomb.
Relies on the Sentinel's Laser Sensor to function.
Achievements[]
- Get Arrested
- Order the Sentinel to land on the USS Freedom aircraft carrier and have it lower its tail hook to catch on the flight deck's arrestor wires. Must be performed either manually (not recommended) or with autopilot enabled while controlling the drone as its "pilot" AI.
Trivia[]
- The Sentinel is based on the "X-47B" UAV which was developed by Northrop Grumman for the U.S. Navy's now-cancelled Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) programme.[1]
- However, the Sentinel's twin separated engines, intake, and wing tip bends draw inspiration from Northrop Grumman's "B-2 Spirit" stealth bomber instead.[2]
- Prior to Game Update 1.72, the Sentinel had much greater agility but was also more unstable in level flight. This was changed with the patch's release so that the Sentinel's agility was toned down but became more stable in mid-flight.[3]
- The patch also corrected a bug that caused the Sentinel to spontaneously explode upon take-off. Before the patch, the slightest of bumps on rough terrain or an uneven angle on the runway could cause the Sentinel to take critical hull damage whilst it was taxiing.[3]
- When viewed from a distance, the Sentinel would not project any shadows even if it was illuminated by an omnidirectional light source. This was fixed after the release of Game Update 1.94.[4]
- The Sentinel's weapon bays are significantly larger than any air-to-ground weapons currently implemented. Despite this, a rack of two Macer II missiles will visibly clip outside the bay doors.
- It is currently the only fixed-wing jet in ArmA 3 that uses a full blended-wing-body airframe.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Carpenter, J 2017, OPREP - JETS DLC, Arma 3, viewed 14 July 2017, <https://dev.arma3.com/post/oprep-jets-dlc>.
- ↑ Córdova C, L 2023, Arma III – Jets DLC – UCAV Sentinel, Arma 3, viewed 16 May 2023, <https://www.artstation.com/artwork/elRrWP>.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Kovařič, V 2017, SPOTREP #00069, Arma 3, viewed 4 October 2023, <https://dev.arma3.com/post/spotrep-00069>.
- ↑ van 't Land, J.J. 2019, SPOTREP #00089, Arma 3, viewed 4 October 2023, <https://dev.arma3.com/post/spotrep-00089>.
External links[]
See also[]
Drones of comparable role and configuration[]
- MQ-4A Greyhawk (Light NATO/Heavy CSAT/AAF counterpart)
- KH-3A Fenghuang (Light CSAT counterpart, ArmA 3: Apex only)
NATO - Vehicles (ArmA 3) | |
---|---|
Wheeled | AMV-7 Marshall • HEMTT • Hunter • Prowler • Quadbike • Rhino MGS (UP) • UGV Stomper |
Tracked | CRV-6e Bobcat • ED-1D Pelter (ED-1E Roller) • IFV-6a Cheetah • IFV-6c Panther • M2A1 Slammer (A4 UP) • M4 Scorcher • M5 Sandstorm |
Rotor-wing | AH-9 Pawnee • AH-99 Blackfoot • AL-6 Pelican • AR-2 Darter • CH-67 Huron • MH-9 Hummingbird • MQ-12 Falcon • UH-80 Ghost Hawk |
Fixed-wing | A-164 Wipeout • F/A-181 Black Wasp II • MQ-4A Greyhawk • UCAV Sentinel • V-44X Blackfish |
Aquatic | Assault Boat (Rescue) • Speedboat Minigun • SDV |
(Parenthesis) denote variants. Helicopters DLC | Apex DLC | Jets DLC | Laws of War DLC | Tanks DLC | Contact DLC |